Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Morgan R. Muell, German Chavez, Ivan Prates, Wilson X. Guillory, Ted R. Kahn, Evan M. Twomey, Miguel T. Rodrigues, Jason L. Brown
Summary: The use of phylogenomic approach to infer evolutionary relationships within Ranitomeya (Anura: Dendrobatidae) has provided new insights into the relationships between taxa and paved the way for future tests of hypotheses on color pattern evolution and historical biogeography.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mallory de Araujo Miles, Mikayla Joyce Johnson, Adam M. M. Stuckert, Kyle Summers
Summary: This study examines the color production mechanisms in the mimic poison frog Ranitomeya imitator. It finds that there are differences in the mechanisms used to produce different color morphs, particularly in the coverage of xanthophores and melanophores. These findings contribute to our understanding of color production in amphibians.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kyle E. Jaynes, Edward A. Myers, Vaclav Gvozdik, David C. Blackburn, Daniel M. Portik, Eli Greenbaum, Gregory F. M. Jongsma, Mark-Oliver Rodel, Gabriel Badjedjea, Abraham Bamba-Kaya, Ninda L. Baptista, Jeannot B. Akuboy, Raffael Ernst, Marcel T. Kouete, Chifundera Kusamba, Franck M. Masudi, Patrick J. McLaughlin, Lotanna M. Nneji, Abiodun B. Onadeko, Johannes Penner, Pedro Vaz Pinto, Bryan L. Stuart, Elie Tobi, Ange-Ghislain Zassi-Boulou, Adam D. Leache, Matthew K. Fujita, Rayna C. Bell
Summary: Secondary sympatry amongst sister lineages is closely associated with genetic and ecological divergence, suggesting that closely related species require differences in ecological and/or reproductive isolation traits to coexist in secondary sympatry. In this study, three giant tree frog species showed species-level divergence coinciding with a period of large-scale forest fragmentation during the late Pliocene. Environmental niche models revealed that the three species occupy distinct environmental niches and display modest morphological differentiation, particularly in tympanum diameter and male advertisement call. Additionally, climatic refugia, precipitation gradients, marine incursions, and potentially riverine barriers have generated phylogeographic structure at the intraspecific level throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
K. D. Weinfurther, A. M. M. Stuckert, M. E. Muscarella, A. L. Peralta, K. Summers
Summary: We provide evidence of a symbiotic protist in the digestive tract of Peruvian mimic poison frog tadpoles. The presence of this protist could aid in protein/lipid digestion and may have allowed the frog to expand into an area with similar species. This discovery also suggests the possibility of a Mullerian mimetic radiation in vertebrates.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stano Pekar, David Ortiz, Lenka Sentenska, Ondrej Sedo
Summary: This study investigates and compares the two morphotypes of Zodarion nitidum, finding significant differences in morphology, behavior, physiology, and ecological traits, including appearance, activity patterns, prey selection, and venom composition. Pre-mating isolation exists between the two morphotypes, but there is no evidence of genetic or environmental niche differentiation.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Melissa Peignier, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, Max Ringler, Eva Ringler
Summary: This study investigated the effects of boldness, aggressiveness, and exploration on the number of mating partners, mating events, and offspring surviving until adulthood in the Neotropical poison frog. The results showed that these behavioral traits had diverse and even opposite effects on different components of reproductive success in both males and females.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Monica Paez-Vacas, Daryl R. Trumbo, W. Chris Funk
Summary: The study examined phenotypic and genetic divergence in 35 populations of Epipedobates anthonyi poison frogs along elevational gradients in the Ecuadorian Andes. Despite low genetic divergence, phenotypic divergence was observed and explained by landscape resistance and environmental differences, suggesting both isolation-by-resistance and isolation-by-environment mechanisms. Environmental variation has a dual effect on population divergence, affecting gene flow and selective pressures on phenotypic traits.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guannan Wen, Jinzhong Fu
Summary: The green odorous frog in western China displays a circular distribution and multiple hybrid zones between lineages with high levels of divergence. Population structure analysis revealed three main groups, with demographic inference suggesting initial isolation approximately 2 million years ago followed by post-glacial expansion. Hybridization in contact zones involved lineages with varying levels of divergence and different patterns of introgression, with some contact zones showing potential barrier effects.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Ivana Jezkova, Raquel Ortells, Javier Montero-Pau, Manuel Serra
Summary: This study reveals the presence of ongoing behavioral reproductive isolation in populations of Brachionus plicatilis rotifer, with a more pronounced isolation in populations with higher levels of adaptive divergence.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Lisa M. Schulte, Kyle Summers
Summary: There is no difference in pre hatching investment between males and females in Ranitomeya imitator, a species with biparental care. Both sexes increase general care behavior when caring for multiple clutches. This finding provides a basis for understanding why biparental care is stable in this species.
Article
Biology
Jennifer Walsh, Shawn M. Billerman, Bronwyn G. Butcher, Vanya G. Rohwer, David P. L. Toews, Vicens Vila-Coury, Irby J. Lovette
Summary: Genome-wide analyses of admixture between two closely related North American oriole species reveal longstanding barriers to reproductive isolation. This study provides insights into the mechanisms that facilitate and inhibit speciation using a hybrid zone between the Baltimore and Bullock's orioles. The findings highlight the complex interactions between pre- and post-mating barriers and the rapid accumulation of barriers between these species.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
G. Ozan Bozdag, Jasmine Ono
Summary: This study reviews recent developments in research on reproductive isolation in yeasts, finding that chromosomal-level mutations are common at the intraspecific level, while anti-recombination-driven chromosome missegregation is the primary reproductive barrier between species. However, all of these postzygotic barriers can be overcome through the asexual life history of hybrids.
CURRENT OPINION IN GENETICS & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Lia Schlippe Justicia, Martin Mayer, Ugo Lorioux-Chevalier, Carolin Dittrich, Bibiana Rojas, Mathieu Chouteau
Summary: Intraspecific variation in body size, especially between populations and sexes, has significant impacts on life-history strategies. The study on dyeing poison frog reveals that female frogs are more influenced by body size selection compared to males, likely due to divergent reproductive investment between sexes. While there are differences in body size and sexual size dimorphism among populations, the overall number of froglets produced per clutch remains consistent.
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Quiterie Haenel, Krista B. Oke, Telma G. Laurentino, Andrew P. Hendry, Daniel Berner
Summary: This study investigates how ecological divergence leads to strong reproductive isolation between populations in close geographic contact, using whole-genome sequencing of stickleback fish populations adapted to neighboring lake and stream habitats. The findings highlight the efficacy of polygenic selection in maintaining reproductive isolation without physical isolation, emphasizing the importance of studying speciation at fine eco-geographic and genomic scales.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charles H. Cannon
Summary: This study highlights the formation of a set of closely related tree species in the Mascarene Islands that actively exchange genes, instead of evolving as completely independent species. The findings provide valuable insights into diversification and emphasize the importance of considering the entire network of potentially interfertile species.