Niche partitioning is an important mechanism for allowing ecologically similar species to coexist, contributing to biodiversity and the functioning of ecological communities. Species partition niches by taking advantage of environmental heterogeneity. However, niche partitioning and species coexistence investigations often do not include intraspecific variation or individual differences like sex and

Producing calls with increased minimum carrier frequency is well documented in sound communicating species confronted with noise pollution, possibly helping them to avoid acoustic masking of low-frequency signals. However, the lack of studies on invertebrates limits our understanding of the potentially adverse effects of anthropogenic noise on natural populations. While males of the grasshopper Chorthippus

Frequent mating can deplete sperm and seminal fluid, limiting male ability to sire offspring. Frequent mating could also deplete non-genetic ejaculate components that affect offspring quality. These effects of frequent mating on male reproductive success may be mediated by male condition, or by modification of subsequent male mating behaviour. Using the neriid fly Telostylinus angusticollis, we conducted

The intensity of ecological interactions is generally expected to increase at lower latitudes, suggesting potential to shape prey behavior at broad spatial scales. Yet, there is relatively limited understanding of how animal behavior varies across major environmental gradients for most taxonomic groups. In this study, I investigated behavioral response of a livebearing fish, Gambusia holbrooki, to

How insect communities are assembled in nature remains largely unknown. In particular, whether habitat filtering or competition serves as the main mechanism in forming insect communities is rarely subject to an in-depth investigation. One bottleneck lies in the difficulty of species identification when dealing with a large number of diverse insects. However, high-throughput sequencing technology coupled

Several insect endosymbionts have evolved to become plant pathogens, but the causes of this transition are currently unknown. In this paper, we use adaptive dynamics to develop hypotheses to explain why an insect endosymbiont would evolve to become a plant pathogen. We develop a model of facultative insect endosymbionts, capable of both vertical transmission within the insect population and horizontal

Translocated populations must adapt to their new environment to survive. A key aspect of survival for insects is the maintenance of water balance. It is thought that insects can adapt to dry environments by adjusting their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile to reduce water loss, though there is limited empirical support for this, and studies generally focus on other roles of CHCs, such as chemical

Population density modulates a wide range of eco-evolutionary processes including inter- and intra-specific competition, fitness and population dynamics. In holometabolous insects, the larval stage is particularly susceptible to density-dependent effects because the larva is the resource-acquiring stage. Larval density-dependent effects can modulate the expression of life-history traits not only in

Cerebral lateralization involves information being processed differently by the brain’s two hemispheres and is often associated with behavioural laterality such as preferential use of right or left limbs. Despite having evolved widely in animals, laterality of limb use has been mostly studied in humans and other primates (e.g. handedness) and is relatively poorly understood in other taxa. Perhaps accordingly

Size and development time are universally important traits. Yet evolutionary trends in development time are often viewed as allometric and physiological by-products of initial size, when life-history theory predicts that both traits are targets of selection and evolve adaptively through opposing effects on fitness. Surprisingly, this prediction has rarely been tested by disentangling the direct and

Immunity genes are proposed to be informative about evolutionary processes acting upon introduced populations (e.g., showing signatures of selection). This is because immunity genes are expected to be under pathogen-mediated selection, and this type of selection can be more pronounced when individuals are exposed to new environmental conditions. Here we assessed innate immune genetic diversity, via

Environmentally acquired microbial symbionts could contribute to host adaptation to local conditions like vertically transmitted symbionts do. This scenario necessitates symbionts to have different effects in different environments. We investigated this idea in Drosophila melanogaster, a species which communities of bacterial symbionts vary greatly among environments. We isolated four bacterial strains

The evolution of sexually dimorphic ornamentation should reflect sex differences in a form of parental care, incubation behavior, but empirical support is scarce after controlling for phylogenetic inertia. Here, using phylogenetic comparative methods in swallows and martins (Aves: Hirundinidae), we studied the evolution of sexual dimorphism in tail length in relation to two incubation types, female-only

Animals that face natural and human-mediated landscape disturbance processes can demonstrate different modalities of phenotypic variation to influence local population persistence. Differences in the frequency and pervasiveness of environmental variation can cause an individual’s phenotype to demonstrate either directional plasticity (i.e., environmental matching), canalization, or increased trait

Ontogenetic habitat shifts are predicted to increase the fitness and survival of individuals by allowing effective utilization of spatially distributed resources. Evidence supports nutritional requirements and predation pressure as drivers of habitat shifts. Likewise, intraspecific interactions are thought to lead to ontogenetic habitat shifts, however, empirical evidence is lacking. Here, we test

In heterogeneous habitats, individuals sharing a larger part of their home-range are also likely to live in a very similar environment. This ‘common environment’ effect can generate phenotypic similarities between neighbours and lead to the structuring of phenotypes through the habitat. In this study, we used an intensely monitored population of hihi (or stitchbird, Notiomystis cincta) from New Zealand

Many organisms inhabiting seasonal environments exhibit adaptive developmental plasticity, allowing them to optimally match life-history traits with fluctuating conditions. This critically relies on environmental cues, such as temperature, as predictors for seasonal transitions. In most seasonal environments, multiple factors vary together, but might not be equally relevant as cue, making it crucial

Parapatric distributions of closely related species are common in many taxonomic groups. However, habitat overlap in sympatric areas within both species’ ranges is complex and driven by the nature of the interactions between species as well as each species’ ecological requirements. We therefore investigated the distribution of breeding habitats for two congeneric frogs, Pelophylax nigromaculatus and

Global climate change is shifting many species’ phenology and has created a number of key mismatches that threaten population persistence. Phenotypically plastic individuals have the ability to adjust their behaviour in response to environmental change. While phenotypic plasticity may serve as a buffer, it is generally not known whether in case this plasticity is insufficient there is additive genetic

Pace-of-life syndromes (POLS) describe covariations between life history (such as growth rate and age at maturity), behaviour (e.g. activity or boldness) and physiology (e.g. metabolic rate) along an axis from fast to slow lifestyles. This powerful concept can be applicable at a range of scales, from broad interspecific contrasts to the individual intra-population level, though its generality has recently

The risk of nest depredation is influenced by numerous factors, including predator density, environmental conditions of the nesting landscape, and nesting behaviors of mothers. Many reptiles choose nest microhabitats that facilitate embryonic development, but little is known about how the risk of nest depredation in different habitats influences egg survival and nesting behavior. To address this knowledge

Patterns and processes of species diversification in the oceans are still not fully understood. Traditionally, studies have been using the pelagic larval duration (PLD) to explain the genetic structure and phylogeographic history of marine taxa. However, this trait has given inconsistent results, especially when there is a physiological barrier. Phylogeographic studies comparing species that have similar

DNA-based methods form the cornerstone of contemporary evolutionary biology and they are highly valued tools in conservation biology. The development of non-invasive sampling methods can be crucial for both gathering sample sizes needed for robust ecological inference and to avoid a negative impact on small and/or endangered populations. Such sampling is particularly challenging in working with aquatic

Tachia guianensis (Gentianaceae), a Neotropical understory myrmecophyte, shelters ant colonies in its hollow trunks and branches (domatia). In turn, it is protected from defoliators and obtains nutrients from ant-produced wastes (myrmecotrophy). Aiming to verify if seasonality influences nitrogen assimilation via ant wastes using the stable isotope nitrogen-15, we first studied Tachia’s phenology and

The study of energy allocation is essential in understanding the regulation of major life history traits. It is often assumed automatically that the limitation of an energy budget or higher allocation to a single trait affect all life history traits. This assumption was inherently included in influential models of ontogenetic growth. We aim to challenge this perspective by focusing on growth in lizards

Cities act as biological filters on native biodiversity, selecting for traits allowing species to use urban resources, which may modify the phylogenetic structure and composition of biotic assemblages. Although many studies about urban filtering have included bird communities, few have focused on diverse and specialized groups, such as hummingbirds. Here, we investigate if: (1) the urbanization process

Mutation is a key force in evolutionary ecology. While the source of new genetic variation, mutation is often considered separately from other mechanisms. This commentary accompanies the mini-special issue/topical collection to draw attention to mutation in evolutionary ecology. We highlight each of the diverse papers, and provide context for future studies. New technologies and datasets coming online

In the original article, the co-author name "Jennifer Kim" has been inadvertently missed during the publication process. The complete author group is given in this correction.

Competition-driven feeding niche separation is assumed to be an important driver of the morphological divergence of co-occurring animal species. However, despite a strong theoretical background, empirical studies showing a direct link between competition, diet divergence and specific morphological adaptations are still scarce. Here we studied the early steps of competition-driven eco-morphological

Adaptive radiation in fishes entering novel post-glacial lakes ubiquitously gives rise to a set of typical forms specializing under the pressure of the same ecological gradients. The world’s most diverse flock of salmonids from Lake Kronotskoe (Kamchatka, N-E Asia) serves as a good model to study evolutionary divergence modes. Eight forms with different feeding types and habitat preferences are known

Developmental stability of an individual is often evaluated by means of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in bilaterally paired morphological characters. Even though FA has been widely investigated in ungulates, its connection with the condition of individuals and their environment is still debated. In this study we investigated factors contributing to FA in horn length in the sexually monomorphic Alpine

Sensory systems can capture only a fraction of available information, which creates opportunities for deceptive signalling. The sensory traps and sensory bias models have proven valuable for explaining how visual systems and environments shape the design of sexual signals, but their application to deceptive signals is largely limited to the context of pollination. Here we use the ‘jewelled’ orb-web

The affiliation of the second author was incorrectly published in the original article.

Pheromones are chemical signals that elicit innate and stereotyped responses in conspecifics, often with intricate species specificity. The remarkable diversity of pheromones has made them particularly useful for studying the physiological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying communication. However, most discussions on pheromone evolution focus on divergence among species and give little attention

The fitness consequences of thermal plasticity of functional traits of insects, and the life stages at which these responses manifest, remain a subject of much debate. Here, we examine whether a short-term exposure to cold, medium or warm fluctuating temperature regimes during development (larval or adult) affects adult performance, thermal tolerance and fitness of the globally invasive harlequin ladybird

Mutations can occur throughout the virus genome and may be beneficial, neutral or deleterious. We are interested in mutations that yield a C next to a G, producing CpG sites. CpG sites are rare in eukaryotic and viral genomes. For the eukaryotes, it is thought that CpG sites are rare because they are prone to mutation when methylated. In viruses, we know less about why CpG sites are rare. A previous

Sex ratios can differ from an expected equal proportion of males and females, carrying substantial implications for our understanding of how mating systems evolve. Typically, macro-evolutionary studies have been conducted without assessing how deviations from an equal sex ratio could be explained by sex-biased mortality or dispersal. Our understanding of sex ratio evolution independent of these confounds

Plants' responses to conflicting stresses may result in physiological trade-offs due to the inter-dependent and costly nature of physiological investments. Physiological tradeoffs have been proved within species, but to what extent these trade-offs are the result of phylogenetic constraints remains poorly known. Environmental stresses can vary widely in different biomes, and therefore assessing physiological

Under an ecological speciation scenario, the radiation of African weakly electric fish (genus Campylomormyrus) is caused by an adaptation to different food sources, associated with diversification of the electric organ discharge (EOD). This study experimentally investigates a phenotype–environment correlation to further support this scenario. Our behavioural experiments showed that three sympatric

Ecological opportunities, such as access to a novel habitat or the extirpation of a key competitor, can lead to adaptive divergence by exposing populations to diversifying selection. Typically, effects of ecological opportunity on adaptive divergence are inferred from macroevolutionary patterns rather than tested in populations undergoing contemporary divergence. This limits our insight on how ecological

Transposable elements are a nearly ubiquitous component of eukaryotic genomes. While often described as parasitic genetic elements, other evidence suggests that transposable elements can become domesticated and contribute to organismal function. There is little empirical data on the positive or negative contribution of transposable elements to organismal traits. We hypothesized that mutations in transposable

In the original publication of the article, the sample size reported in the article differs from the sample size in the Electronic Supplementary material 2 dataset. The corrections in the text and the revised supplementary data set are provided in this correction.

The evolutionary spread of a trait that benefits individuals of one species in their interactions with a second species may be constrained by “ecological costs” if the trait also has detrimental effects on interactions with a third species in the environment. In particular, the identification of ecological costs may help explain why natural plant populations often display less-than-maximal resistance

The Galápagos Islands are home to incredible endemic biodiversity that is of high conservation interest. Two such endemic species are the Galápagos tomatoes: Solanum cheesmaniae and Solanum galapagense. Both are known from historical location records, but like many endemic plant species on the Galápagos, their current conservation status is unclear. We revisited previously documented sites of endemic

Mitochondria are sensitive to oxidative stress, including that derived from ionizing radiation. To quantify the effects of exposure to environmental radionuclides on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) dynamics in wildlife, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) were collected from the chernobyl exclusion zone (CEZ), where animals are exposed to elevated levels of radionuclides, and from uncontaminated areas within the

Anthropogenic disturbance has the potential to influence metapopulation dynamics by altering habitat quality and connectivity. In particular, species with limited vagility and specific habitat preferences, such as the Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi), are likely to be affected by landscape-altering events. In the Ocala National Forest (ONF) of central Florida, subpopulations of Florida scrub

I re-examined the scaling of metabolic rate versus body mass in eight species of ant (static allometry) to illustrate one of the ways by which contemporary concepts of metabolic allometry have been negatively impacted by the widespread use of a standardized procedure for analyzing bivariate data. The procedure in question is the one promoted by Julian Huxley in his monograph on Problems of Relative

We evaluated patterns of species richness, heterogeneity, niche occupation, and community structuring/similarity of staphylinid beetles of the subfamily Steninae across a 2500-m elevational gradient of a tropical mountain area in Northern Thailand. Predaceous Steninae were collected from a variety of habitat types. Increasing Sørensen dissimilarity with increasing elevation was explained by both species

Obligate and facultative cave species both play significant functional roles in cave ecosystems. Unlike obligate cave species, facultative cave species can persist in habitats both within and outside of caves. However, no comparative demographic model explaining the sustained presence of both obligate and facultative cave species has been provided. We developed a multi-state capture–mark–recapture

The effect of size-selective predation on prey communities and their traits is well documented, but the relative roles of genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity continue to be debated. We looked for evidence of genetic adaption in a population of the water flea Daphnia pulex that faced a novel, introduced predator, Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis), selectively preying upon large zooplankton

Understanding the mechanisms that drive the assembly of communities is a central goal in ecology, and phylogenetic approaches allows for the testing of hypotheses related to such mechanisms. We analyzed assembly mechanisms of cricetid rodents in an environmentally heterogeneous region of southern Mexico by assessing their phylogenetic diversity and testing environmental predictors of the phylogenetic

In the original publication of the article, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 were published with an error.

Theory predicts that warning signals should exhibit low variation to increase learning efficiency in predators. Many species, however, exhibit variation in warning colours within species and even within populations. An understudied example of within species variation is that between life stages, where animals change warning colouration throughout ontogeny. Understanding how warning signals change throughout

Detailed behavioral observations of the same urban population of Water Dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) during two reproductive periods 7 years apart (2009 vs. 2016) revealed a dramatic change in aggression and the social context of male displays. Differences in the behavior of 2016 males may be a consequence of increased visibility of conspecifics due to anthropogenic removal of vegetation, however

Seed mass is a main determinant of seedling establishment, particularly under stressful conditions, as bigger seeds offer more resources to the emerging seedling. This has led to the expectation of increased seed mass under harsh conditions. Here, we studied the role of different components of environmental harshness on the evolution of seed size in Pinus. We assessed whether differences in cold and

Sequential hermaphroditism (sex change) is understood to be a strategy that maximizes lifetime reproduction in systems where one sex confers highest fitness early in life, and the other later in life. This strategy is evolutionarily stable despite costs to growth, survival, or current reproduction. Few studies have examined advantages of sex change outside of reproduction. The mangrove rivulus fish

Abstract The polygyny threshold model predicts that a female chooses an already-mated male if the direct benefits of higher territorial quality compensate for the cost of mate sharing. The sexy son hypothesis (SSH) expands this framework from direct to indirect benefits assuming that polygynously-mated females give birth to sexy and subsequently polygynous sons. Although the SSH has generated much

Abstract This study identifies one possible mechanism whereby gene flow is interrupted in populations undergoing evolutionary divergence in sympatry; this is an important issue in evolutionary biology that remains poorly understood. Variation in trophic morphology was induced in three-spined stickleback by exposing them from an early age either to large benthic or to small pelagic prey. At sexual maturity

Abstract Speciation is nowadays recognized as a dynamic process in which the respective roles of forces driving ecological differentiation and reproductive isolation can change through time and space. Incipient speciation events are particularly useful to follow such processes that are not tractable when considering well-differentiated taxa. A promising case study was discovered in the pine processionary

Abstract Haplotilapiine are members of Cichlidae (cichlid fishes), one of the most species-rich vertebrate families. Many haplotilapiines diversified via allopatric divergence, sexual selection, hybridization and ecological adaptation, making them excellent models for evolutionary research. One extraordinary example of how haplotilapiine diversified are the species found within the Sahara desert, surviving