Integrative and Comparative Biology最新文献

Since 2010, scholarly societies have established themselves as important institutional forces that can advocate for and work to enact cultural change and improve equity and inclusion in their fields. However, since the 2024 election, the political environment in the USA has had a dramatic chilling effect on overt efforts to support equity and inclusion. If the past 15 years of emphasis on equity and inclusion has genuinely resulted in cultural change, we have reason to be optimistic, because these values should be reflected in the broader missions of our societies and thus be sustainable. To assess the extent to which this might be true, we systematically examined mission and purpose statements across 194 scholarly societies that are affiliates or members of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) or the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). Unfortunately, we found that only 25% of these societies have incorporated inclusive or equity-oriented goals into their formal mission statements and governing documents. In contrast, 85% of these societies have made publicly-accessible commitments to support values-based or cultural change towards inclusive practices in their communities. Unfortunately, these short-comings are in-line with prior criticism raised by us and others of many of the diversity- and equity-branded efforts championed by our institutions. Inserting or advertising terms like "diversity" and "equity" is insufficient to promote true cultural change; these word choices remain performative unless they are backed by structural reorganization and mission emphases. Here, we advocate for scholarly societies to formally encode their cultural values in their mission statements, both to provide a legal framework to support this work and to affirm their communities when hard-fought cultural shifts are being rapidly retracted elsewhere.

The evolution of mating preferences and the consequences of the resulting sexual selection are intensively studied topics in evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, until relatively recently, the evolution of perhaps the most fundamental of all mating preferences, the preference for mating with opposite-sex individuals, has received little attention. In the past two decades, however, there has been an explosion of literature on the evolution and expression of same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) in non-human animals. Here, I show that literature on SSB has strong connections to many insights from classic theory on mate choice. I argue that explicitly integrating this "old theory" on mate choice proves tremendously informative for understanding the evolution of SSB. To do so, I review what is known about the expression and evolution of SSB. I begin by explaining why selection may favor imperfect sex discrimination (i.e., the failure to accurately assess the sex of potential mating partners), how imperfect sex discrimination manifests in SSB empirically, and the origin of sex discrimination. I then review experimental studies on how varying social conditions such as density and sex ratio influence the plastic expression of SSB. Next, I turn to evidence for adaptive SSB, wherein the act of engaging in sexual behavior with same-sex conspecifics carries fitness benefits. I conclude by arguing that connecting results on SSB to "classic" work on mating preferences leads to a deeper understanding of how SSB evolves.

Biological invasions are strongly shaped by temperature, especially in poikilothermic organisms, where thermal regimes influence life-history traits, thereby determining both their competitive potential and geographic distribution. However, comparative evidence on how suboptimal thermal conditions modulate interactions among co-occurring invasive species remains scarce. We experimentally compared the growth, survival, and reproductive performance of the invasive parthenogenetic marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis with three widespread North American crayfish invaders in Europe: the spiny-cheek crayfish Faxonius limosus, the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus, and the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Experiments were conducted under prolonged suboptimal conditions (~16°C over 45 weeks), followed by a short-term temperature increase (~20°C). Across three independent laboratory trials, we assessed species performance in single-species and mixed-species stocks. Despite reduced absolute growth rates at low temperature, marbled crayfish rapidly compensated for their initially smaller size and outperformed spiny-cheek crayfish in growth and survival. In contrast, marbled crayfish were consistently suppressed when co-occurring with the larger and more aggressive red swamp crayfish, whereas interactions with signal crayfish resulted in temporary growth advantages but ultimately size convergence. Survival patterns reflected a combination of size asymmetries, behavioural dominance, and intraspecific aggression, with marbled crayfish exhibiting notably high survival in single-species stocks across all trials. Reproductive development was strongly temperature-constrained. While marbled crayfish readily formed glair glands and ovulated eggs at 16°C, successful hatching occurred only after the temperature was raised. Our results demonstrate that suboptimal thermal conditions do not eliminate competitive asymmetries among invasive crayfish but instead reshape invasion outcomes in species-specific ways. These findings highlight the marbled crayfish's capacity to persist and interact competitively even in colder environments, with important implications for invasion dynamics under ongoing climate change.

Neuroplasticity enables the brain to reorganize in response to developmental change and experience, thereby supporting behavioral flexibility. In insects, both age and experience are known to influence neural structure, but how these factors differ between the sexes remains largely unexplored. Here, using micro-CT scanning, we quantify volumetric plasticity across eight brain regions in the orchid bee Euglossa dilemma, a facultatively social species with pronounced sexual dimorphism in behavior. We show that neuroplasticity follows sex- and region-specific trajectories that map onto the distinct reproductive behaviors exhibited by male and female bees. Consistent with other insect species, both sexes exhibited neuroplasticity in the mushroom bodies but only males showed an experience-dependent expansion, which we attribute to the navigational demands of reproductive behaviors. This was further supported by the expansion of olfactory and visual processing centers associated with the sensory demands of perfume collection and courtship display. Females, in contrast, undergo an exclusively age-dependent volumetric expansion of the mushroom bodies, an experience-dependent expansion of the antennal lobes, and a reduction of the visual neuropils. These patterns of plasticity correlate with female nesting behavior and may reveal potential energy trade-offs during reproduction. Our findings provide the first evidence of exclusively age-driven neuroplasticity in the mushroom bodies of social female bees and establish Euglossa dilemma as a valuable comparative model for studying the evolution of brain plasticity and behavioral adaptation in social insects.

Rising global temperatures underscore the urgent need to interrogate the longstanding hypothesis that behavioral traits play an influential role in adaptation to environmental change. The past decade has seen major gains in understanding how physiology responds to heat, but key gaps remain regarding the role of diverse behavioral traits. Here, we advance the idea that some behaviors may function as keystone traits, exerting disproportionate and cascading effects on organismal performance, population-level processes, and evolutionary outcomes under heat. In this perspective piece, we urge new research to isolate the role of behavior in mitigating heat via an explicitly behavior-centric framework, which features three key components: First, experiment design must scrutinize the scope, causes, and downstream consequences of behavioral variation. Second, we must expand our conception of what types of behaviors shape performance under heat, moving beyond the current focus on movement and heat dissipation behaviors. Third, we must explicitly integrate behavioral variation across scales to link individual changes in behavior with population level processes. By testing whether, how, and when behavioral traits hold the front line in defense of heat, we sharpen our ability to predict organismal responses to our changing world.

Apicomplexans are a large group of protists, including several species of major medical importance, most notably those which cause malaria and toxoplasmosis in humans. They are obligate intracellular symbionts that have an interesting evolutionary history, having evolved from a free-living, phototrophic ancestor. Despite the extensive research interest in this group, novel apicomplexans with important ecological roles are still being discovered, particularly from the marine environment. These often-overlooked microbes infect a myriad of marine organisms, and recent research on this clade has expanded our knowledge of parasite evolution and symbiosis in the ocean. Corallicolids, for instance, have impacted our understanding of plastid evolution and have also been shown to play a role in coral thermal tolerance. Closely related are the ichthyocolids, intracellular fish blood symbionts that were mostly overlooked and misclassified until a phylogenomic investigation showed they are sister to the corallicolids, and incredibly widespread across marine fish diversity. Another recent phylogenomic study similarly resolved a new apicomplexan class, marosporidians, which have been implicated in marine heat wave-triggered mollusk mass mortality events. Given the pace of recent discoveries within this lineage, developing a cohesive framework for studying endosymbiotic apicomplexans is critical. Such an approach will illuminate their hidden biodiversity, clarify their impacts on host health and fitness, and provide the knowledge needed to predict how these symbionts and their hosts will respond to accelerating climate change.

Seascape genomics has rapidly evolved into an integrative field, merging genomics, oceanography, ecology, climate science, and computational modeling to assess the mechanisms that shape marine biodiversity distribution and adaptation. This review traces the evolution of seascape genomics from its roots in population genetics to an interdisciplinary and increasingly integrative science that supports marine management and conservation. This systematic synthesis of 93 empirical studies published between 2006 and 2025 highlights a methodological and international collaboration expansion within seascape genomic studies, while also exposing persistent inequities in geographic representation and gender diversity. Seascape genomics is characterized by a high proportion of women in lead-author roles, signaling a more inclusive trajectory than many related genomic disciplines, even as gender imbalances persist in senior last-author positions. While most studies achieved full methodological and analytical integration, only a few generate decision-support tools for conservation and climate adaptation, but still lack explicit participatory frameworks and stakeholder engagement. The continued development of seascape genomics depends on expanding beyond analytical integration to incorporate participatory, inclusive, and co-designed research practices. Advancing transdisciplinary literacy, equitable leadership and participation, especially in low-and-middle-income countries, and open data infrastructures will be key to realizing the full potential of seascape genomics as a decision-support science and a model for integrative ocean research.

Over the course of development, sensory systems must integrate specialized cells and tissues to generate a functional unit. A robust example of this type of integration is the lateral line, a mechanosensory system in fishes and amphibians that senses changes in water movement. Over the past century, numerous reports noted that the principal organs of the lateral line-neuromasts-co-localize to the position of ossification centers for bones of the facial skeleton. More recent work in the freshwater model system, Astyanax mexicanus, revealed facial bones of the suborbital complex frequently fuse in a manner consistent with approximated neuromasts. In cave dwelling morphs, which lack a structural eye, positioning of the neuromasts encircling the orbit differ from closely related, eyed surface-dwelling morphs. This suggests facial bone fusion patterns are a function of eye regression, which interferes with neuromast positioning early in development. Here, we compared adult bone fusion patterns from individuals derived from three cavefish populations derived from at least two independent cave colonizations-the Pachón, Tinaja, and Molino caves. Interestingly, despite established asymmetries impacting the cavefish craniofacial complex, no asymmetric bias was observed in facial bone fusion. Surface fish showed minimal fusion, however cave morphs showed substantial facial bone fusion, which varied in severity by cave population. Facial bone fusion is therefore not a simple function of eye regression, since each eyeless cavefish population harbored different patterns of fusion severity. We propose intra-population variation in bone fusion is a function of the timing of eye degeneration. Early and rapid eye degeneration (as in Pachón cavefish) likely has a more profound effect on neuromast positioning, and consequential bone fusion patterns. Tinaja and Molino cavefish have slower and more gradual eye regression, likely interfering less with neuromast positioning. This results in fewer approximated neuromasts, and fusions between neighboring facial bones. This study showcases the integrated nature of sensory-skeletal development, a poorly understood phenomenon. Moreover, aberrations impacting this integration-such as eye loss in cave dwelling fish-can lead to remarkable intraspecific (and intra-population) variation.

In many species experiencing range expansion resulting from human activity, individuals at the range boundary may be phenotypically distinct from individuals of that species living in longer-established parts of their range. Despite a handful of cases suggesting these differences occur, little is known about how widespread this variation is across diverse invasive species, or whether and how such variation might facilitate the success of introduced species. In the present study, we identified subpopulations of the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, in the lower Susquehanna River watershed in the eastern United States. We collected fish from three sites believed to differ in the time since their establishment. We introduced these fish to a series of behavioral tests to investigate variation in exploratory behavior, boldness, activity level, and sociality to determine (1) whether these subpopulations differed in these behaviors, (2) whether variation in any of these behaviors correlated with one another, and (3) whether subpopulations may differ in variation in these correlated behaviors. We found that fish collected from the longest established subpopulation were more active than fish in more recently established subpopulations. We found that high boldness, activity levels, and sociality correlated across subpopulations, but did not differ between them. Collectively, our results indicate that while subpopulations do differ in one behavioral measure, we did not find evidence of variation in correlated behaviors depending on the estimated time since establishment.

Dysphagia, a pervasive global health issue, is increasingly prevalent with age (presbyphagia), significantly impacting well-being. Studying its complex mechanisms in humans is challenging, often necessitating animal models. Ideally, such models should combine close anatomical and physiological similarity to humans with practical attributes that facilitate longitudinal research, including ease of handling and housing, manageable lifespan, compressed developmental timelines, and high fecundity. Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), with their notable human-like similarities and practical advantages, represent an ideal biogerontology model, though their swallowing physiology remains largely underexplored. From a comparative biology perspective, this study aims to elucidate swallowing biomechanics and physiology across the lifespan of healthy captive common marmosets using cineradiographic imaging. We used cineradiography to examine swallowing function and spinal posture in 26 healthy marmosets, ranging from 0 to 19 years old. A high-resolution microfocal X-ray source and beryllium fast-response image intensifier, housed in a radiation-proof chamber, were employed. Animals consumed barium-mixed Castella cake while a dual video camera system captured synchronized visual and audio data. Researchers remotely manipulated the animal cage via an X-ray control desk. We measured bolus size, inter-swallow intervals, pharyngeal inlet angle (PIA), and spinal angles during swallowing. Analyzing 784 swallows from 56 recordings, we found significant age-related differences in bolus size, inter-swallow interval, and PIA (P < 0.001). Elderly marmosets displayed longer inter-swallow intervals, and had wider PIAs than younger animals; poorer dental health also correlated with these changes. Postural analysis revealed older marmosets exhibited more flexed cervicothoracic and thoracolumbar angles and increased spinal sinuosity. Importantly, narrower spinal angles correlated with larger boluses, wider PIAs, and longer inter-swallow intervals. This study provides a comprehensive lifespan investigation of marmoset swallowing, revealing distinct age-related changes in anatomy and swallowing physiology. Our findings significantly advance the understanding of aging in this species and underscore the marmoset's potential as a valuable model for future swallowing research, particularly for investigating disease conditions and testing interventions relevant to human dysphagia.