Pub Date : 2024-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.010
Kathryn R Elmer, Jean Clobert
Dollo's law of irreversibility argues that evolution cannot revert to earlier states. It has remained controversial ever since its inception in the 19th century. Enabled by advances in phylogenomics and functional genomics, recent studies show that there are very likely some cases of 'breaking Dollo's law'. As post-genomic research grows from showing patterns to revealing processes, new emphasis is needed on the molecular mechanisms by which Dollo's law might be broken. Shifting the argument from 'if it happened' to 'how it happened' will provide richer understanding of organismal and evolutionary biology. Motivated by case studies and novel avenues to test trait loss and regain, we outline a set of alternative hypotheses to be evaluated and what the outcomes tell us about evolution.
{"title":"Dollo's law of irreversibility in the post-genomic age.","authors":"Kathryn R Elmer, Jean Clobert","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dollo's law of irreversibility argues that evolution cannot revert to earlier states. It has remained controversial ever since its inception in the 19th century. Enabled by advances in phylogenomics and functional genomics, recent studies show that there are very likely some cases of 'breaking Dollo's law'. As post-genomic research grows from showing patterns to revealing processes, new emphasis is needed on the molecular mechanisms by which Dollo's law might be broken. Shifting the argument from 'if it happened' to 'how it happened' will provide richer understanding of organismal and evolutionary biology. Motivated by case studies and novel avenues to test trait loss and regain, we outline a set of alternative hypotheses to be evaluated and what the outcomes tell us about evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142508751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.005
Anna C Bowland, Amanda D Melin, David J Hosken, Kimberley J Hockings, Matthew A Carrigan
The consumption of ethanol has frequently been seen as largely restricted to humans. Here, we take a broad eco-evolutionary approach to understanding ethanol's potential impact on the natural world. There is growing evidence that ethanol is present in many wild fruits, saps, and nectars and that ethanol ingestion offers benefits that favour adaptations for its use in multiple taxa. Explanations for ethanol consumption span both the nutritional and non-nutritional, with potential medicinal value or cognitive effects (with social-behavioural benefits) explored. We conclude that ethanol is ecologically relevant and that it has shaped the evolution of many species and structured symbiotic relationships among organisms, including plants, yeast, bacteria, insects, and mammals.
{"title":"The evolutionary ecology of ethanol.","authors":"Anna C Bowland, Amanda D Melin, David J Hosken, Kimberley J Hockings, Matthew A Carrigan","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The consumption of ethanol has frequently been seen as largely restricted to humans. Here, we take a broad eco-evolutionary approach to understanding ethanol's potential impact on the natural world. There is growing evidence that ethanol is present in many wild fruits, saps, and nectars and that ethanol ingestion offers benefits that favour adaptations for its use in multiple taxa. Explanations for ethanol consumption span both the nutritional and non-nutritional, with potential medicinal value or cognitive effects (with social-behavioural benefits) explored. We conclude that ethanol is ecologically relevant and that it has shaped the evolution of many species and structured symbiotic relationships among organisms, including plants, yeast, bacteria, insects, and mammals.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142558871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-21DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.011
Léa Lorrain-Soligon, François Brischoux, Julien Pétillon
Coastal ecosystems face salinization and rising temperatures. In coastal ectotherms, salinity and temperature affect metabolism, tolerance, infections, growth, behavior, and survival. Overall, the combined effects of salinity and temperature on species distribution, community structure, invasive species, and ecosystem functioning need to be fully assessed to understand impacts from these stressors.
{"title":"The interactive effects of salt and heat on coastal ectotherms.","authors":"Léa Lorrain-Soligon, François Brischoux, Julien Pétillon","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coastal ecosystems face salinization and rising temperatures. In coastal ectotherms, salinity and temperature affect metabolism, tolerance, infections, growth, behavior, and survival. Overall, the combined effects of salinity and temperature on species distribution, community structure, invasive species, and ecosystem functioning need to be fully assessed to understand impacts from these stressors.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142508752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.012
Miguel Ángel Gómez-Serrano
Natural debris deposited by the sea is essential for the functioning of the beach ecosystem. As tourist demands on the coast grow, aesthetic values become more important, and the indiscriminate cleaning of debris spreads from urban to natural beaches. A change in beach debris management is needed to ensure that organic debris plays its role where the sea has deposited it.
{"title":"Improving beach natural debris management for biodiversity conservation.","authors":"Miguel Ángel Gómez-Serrano","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural debris deposited by the sea is essential for the functioning of the beach ecosystem. As tourist demands on the coast grow, aesthetic values become more important, and the indiscriminate cleaning of debris spreads from urban to natural beaches. A change in beach debris management is needed to ensure that organic debris plays its role where the sea has deposited it.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142486245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.007
Anne M McLeod, Shawn Leroux, Chelsea L Little, François Massol, Eric Vander Wal, Yolanda F Wiersma, Isabelle Gounand, Nicolas Loeuille, Eric Harvey
The movement, distribution, and relative proportions of essential elements across the landscape should influence the structure and functioning of biological communities. Yet, our basic understanding of the spatial distribution of elements, particularly bioavailable elements, across landscapes is limited. Here, we propose a quantitative framework to study the causes and consequences of spatial patterns of elements. Specifically, we integrate distribution models, dissimilarity metrics, and spatial smoothing to predict how the distribution of bioavailable elements changes with spatial extent. Our community and landscape ecology perspective on elemental diversity highlights the characteristic relationships that emerge among elements in landscapes and that can be measured empirically to help us pinpoint ecosystem control points. This step forward provides a mechanistic link between community and ecosystem processes.
{"title":"Quantifying elemental diversity to study landscape ecosystem function.","authors":"Anne M McLeod, Shawn Leroux, Chelsea L Little, François Massol, Eric Vander Wal, Yolanda F Wiersma, Isabelle Gounand, Nicolas Loeuille, Eric Harvey","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The movement, distribution, and relative proportions of essential elements across the landscape should influence the structure and functioning of biological communities. Yet, our basic understanding of the spatial distribution of elements, particularly bioavailable elements, across landscapes is limited. Here, we propose a quantitative framework to study the causes and consequences of spatial patterns of elements. Specifically, we integrate distribution models, dissimilarity metrics, and spatial smoothing to predict how the distribution of bioavailable elements changes with spatial extent. Our community and landscape ecology perspective on elemental diversity highlights the characteristic relationships that emerge among elements in landscapes and that can be measured empirically to help us pinpoint ecosystem control points. This step forward provides a mechanistic link between community and ecosystem processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142475706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-08-30DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.006
Andrew D Barnes, Julie R Deslippe, Anton M Potapov, Adriana L Romero-Olivares, Louis A Schipper, Charlotte J Alster
Environmental warming is thought to alter food web stability and functioning, but whether warming reduces food web resistance and resilience to further climatic events remains surprisingly unexplored. Warming experiments that superimpose acute disturbances are urgently needed to understand how extreme events further threaten the stability and multifunctionality of ecological networks.
{"title":"Does warming erode network stability and ecosystem multifunctionality?","authors":"Andrew D Barnes, Julie R Deslippe, Anton M Potapov, Adriana L Romero-Olivares, Louis A Schipper, Charlotte J Alster","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental warming is thought to alter food web stability and functioning, but whether warming reduces food web resistance and resilience to further climatic events remains surprisingly unexplored. Warming experiments that superimpose acute disturbances are urgently needed to understand how extreme events further threaten the stability and multifunctionality of ecological networks.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"892-894"},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142112334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-09-03DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.004
Priscilla M Wehi, Hēmi Whaanga, Tom Roa, Murray P Cox
Language connects cultural and biological diversity and can contribute to both big data and localised approaches to improve conservation. Analysing Indigenous languages at regional level supports understanding of local ecologies and cultural revitalisation. Collated linguistic datasets can help to identify large-scale patterns, including extinctions, and forge robust multidisciplinary approaches to biocultural decision-making.
{"title":"Woven languages: understanding Indigenous socioecological systems.","authors":"Priscilla M Wehi, Hēmi Whaanga, Tom Roa, Murray P Cox","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Language connects cultural and biological diversity and can contribute to both big data and localised approaches to improve conservation. Analysing Indigenous languages at regional level supports understanding of local ecologies and cultural revitalisation. Collated linguistic datasets can help to identify large-scale patterns, including extinctions, and forge robust multidisciplinary approaches to biocultural decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"881-884"},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142133857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-06-22DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.013
Chenguang Gao, Thiemo Martijn Bezemer, Franciska T de Vries, Peter M van Bodegom
Soil microbial communities play pivotal roles in maintaining soil health in agroecosystems. However, how the delivery of multiple microbial functions in agroecosystems is maintained remains poorly understood. This may put us at risk of incurring unexpected trade-offs between soil functions. We elucidate how interactions between soil microbes can lead to trade-offs in the functioning of agricultural soils. Interactions within soil microbial communities can result in not only positive but also neutral and negative relationships among soil functions. Altering soil conditions through soil health-improving agricultural management can alleviate these functional trade-offs by promoting the diversity and interrelationships of soil microbes, which can help to achieve more productive and sustainable agroecosystems.
{"title":"Trade-offs in soil microbial functions and soil health in agroecosystems.","authors":"Chenguang Gao, Thiemo Martijn Bezemer, Franciska T de Vries, Peter M van Bodegom","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soil microbial communities play pivotal roles in maintaining soil health in agroecosystems. However, how the delivery of multiple microbial functions in agroecosystems is maintained remains poorly understood. This may put us at risk of incurring unexpected trade-offs between soil functions. We elucidate how interactions between soil microbes can lead to trade-offs in the functioning of agricultural soils. Interactions within soil microbial communities can result in not only positive but also neutral and negative relationships among soil functions. Altering soil conditions through soil health-improving agricultural management can alleviate these functional trade-offs by promoting the diversity and interrelationships of soil microbes, which can help to achieve more productive and sustainable agroecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"895-903"},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141443381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-06-10DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.007
Elly Knight, Tessa Rhinehart, Devin R de Zwaan, Matthew J Weldy, Mark Cartwright, Scott H Hawley, Jeffery L Larkin, Damon Lesmeister, Erin Bayne, Justin Kitzes
Recent advances in bioacoustics combined with acoustic individual identification (AIID) could open frontiers for ecological and evolutionary research because traditional methods of identifying individuals are invasive, expensive, labor-intensive, and potentially biased. Despite overwhelming evidence that most taxa have individual acoustic signatures, the application of AIID remains challenging and uncommon. Furthermore, the methods most commonly used for AIID are not compatible with many potential AIID applications. Deep learning in adjacent disciplines suggests opportunities to advance AIID, but such progress is limited by training data. We suggest that broadscale implementation of AIID is achievable, but researchers should prioritize methods that maximize the potential applications of AIID, and develop case studies with easy taxa at smaller spatiotemporal scales before progressing to more difficult scenarios.
{"title":"Individual identification in acoustic recordings.","authors":"Elly Knight, Tessa Rhinehart, Devin R de Zwaan, Matthew J Weldy, Mark Cartwright, Scott H Hawley, Jeffery L Larkin, Damon Lesmeister, Erin Bayne, Justin Kitzes","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent advances in bioacoustics combined with acoustic individual identification (AIID) could open frontiers for ecological and evolutionary research because traditional methods of identifying individuals are invasive, expensive, labor-intensive, and potentially biased. Despite overwhelming evidence that most taxa have individual acoustic signatures, the application of AIID remains challenging and uncommon. Furthermore, the methods most commonly used for AIID are not compatible with many potential AIID applications. Deep learning in adjacent disciplines suggests opportunities to advance AIID, but such progress is limited by training data. We suggest that broadscale implementation of AIID is achievable, but researchers should prioritize methods that maximize the potential applications of AIID, and develop case studies with easy taxa at smaller spatiotemporal scales before progressing to more difficult scenarios.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"947-960"},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141306910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-10-01Epub Date: 2024-08-28DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.001
Morten T Limborg, Caroline S Winther-Have, Naia Morueta-Holme, M Thomas P Gilbert, Jacob A Rasmussen
As most life-forms exist as holobionts, reduction of host-level biodiversity drives parallel habitat losses to their host-adapted microorganisms. The holobiont concept helps us to understand how species are habitats for - often ignored - coevolved microorganisms also worthy of conservation. Indeed, loss of host-associated microbial biodiversity may accelerate the extinction risks of their host.
{"title":"The overlooked biodiversity loss.","authors":"Morten T Limborg, Caroline S Winther-Have, Naia Morueta-Holme, M Thomas P Gilbert, Jacob A Rasmussen","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As most life-forms exist as holobionts, reduction of host-level biodiversity drives parallel habitat losses to their host-adapted microorganisms. The holobiont concept helps us to understand how species are habitats for - often ignored - coevolved microorganisms also worthy of conservation. Indeed, loss of host-associated microbial biodiversity may accelerate the extinction risks of their host.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"889-891"},"PeriodicalIF":16.7,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142112337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}