Preprint alert on the Scandinavian #wolf population and its conservation status. Populations are considered genetically safe if their genetically effective size exceeds 500. That's not a countable number, it reflects how fast the population loses heterozygosity and suffers from inbreeding. 1/ 🦊

A study of Arkansas Darter fish reveals stark genetic differences across populations but little inbreeding or harmful mutations. Key donor/recipient sites were identified for assisted migration, which can boost genetic diversity and help pop. persistence 🐟 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70088

Soil properties – water availability and pH – are strongly associated to the spatial distribution of two hybridizing and sympatric oak species (Quercus spp) at local stand scale. w/@felix-zimmermann.bsky.social, @christian-rellstab.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/eva.70076

In a mixed stand, Quercus petraea and Q. pubescens (oaks) sort by soil & hybrids are not ecologically intermediate. Observational, so space and env aren't disentangled, but imp't for understanding ecological sorting. @christian-rellstab.bsky.social et al. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Genome of Kumamoto Oyster Crassostrea sikamea Provides Insights Into Bivalve Evolution and Environmental Adaptation https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40290373/

Really excited to share this paper! We show that the threat of genetic erosion doesn’t just come down to diversity, genetic load, population size, or even inbreeding— it has to do with the evolutionary context in which those patterns arise and contemporary demographic changes doi.org/10.1111/eva....

#Chinook #salmon found naturally hatching in Upper Klamath River for first time in a century - OPB share.google/rMPojsAP27r2...

Out today is our paper 'Genomic history of early dogs in Europe', in which we uncover the identity of the dogs that lived in Europe before agriculture—during the Paleolithic & Mesolithic periods: doi.org/10.1038/s415.... A thread ⬇️ (10) @biouea.bsky.social @crick.ac.uk @mpi-eva-leipzig.bsky.social

The northern white rhino is effectively extinct. Can a healthy pop be restored from cryopreserved cells of only 12 inds? @arynwilder.bsky.social et al. show how restoration from biobanked cells eases constraints of a limited founder pool to enable recovery 🦏 📸 San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

It’s always been a mystery to me how the genetic diversity and composition of the Scandinavian brown bear originated 🤔 Today, we publish a new paper that sheds new light on this, and a real-time example of how mito-nuclear discordances can evolve during severe bottlenecks: doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

The plants that received this “genetic help” flowered earlier and showed noticeable changes in key traits, suggesting that assisted gene flow could be a useful tool—but also one that comes with trade‑offs we need to understand carefully 🧬 (2/2) doi.org/10.1111/eva.70087

Can we help plants keep up with climate change? In their study, @carlos-lara0.bsky.social et al. tested whether moving beneficial genes from southern to northern populations of Lupinus angustifolius could boost their ability to cope with warmer conditions 🌱 (1/2) 📸 Sandra Sacristán‑Bajo

How do we choose source pops. for genetic rescue? Black et al. use genome-wide data & 50-generation simulations in the southern brown bandicoot to show: (1) closely related pops. can deliver sustained diversity gains; (2) simulations matter more than simple metrics 🐾 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70050

Another #consgen paper highlighting that ex-situ breeding, especially in species with high fecundity (fishes!) is no silver bullet for conservation, due to rapid evolution of domestication, even with careful genetic management.

Poop can save species 💩 Scientists used fecal metagenomics to find pathogens in the critically endangered Iberian desman. They found 26 potential threats, some in almost half the individuals tested. Non-invasive way to study wildlife health! doi.org/10.1111/eva.70199

One study investigated the native range of a planthopper used against invasive water hyacinth. They show 3 lineages shaped by ancient climate shifts & river basins with ongoing gene flow. This helps select the best populations for release in the US & South Africa 🌿🧬 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70208

Captive rearing can alter phenotypes & reduce fitness. This review summarizes how DNA methylation is linked to changes in behavior, color & development across salmonids. It proposes using epigenetics for monitoring and to boost survival 🐟🧬 w/@clarevenney.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/eva.70210

Catching a raven is very difficult, as they are hard to fool. Catching 69 of them is an amazing achievement by itself.

Two PhD scholarships at Flinders University in Molecular Ecology 🧬 Project: adaptive introgression & rapid evolution under climate change Includes fieldwork, experiments & genome sequencing Start July 2026 | AUD$36k stipend Contact me or [email protected] #PhD #EvoBio #Genomics

Great news 🎉🎉🎉 We have extended the deadline to submit to the Joint Special Issue with Molecular Ecology on "Evolutionary Genomics & Climate Change" 🌍🧬 📅 Submit by June 30🏃‍♂️ Reach out to us and @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social if you wanna know more! Please help us spread the word 🐕

Genomic estimates of inbreeding with runs of homozygosity often outperform pedigree-based F, even from long-term datasets. They integrate occasional gene flow and are less sensitive to underlying pedigree assumptions. Congrats @marcofesta.bsky.social and co! #consgen

Earlier, Lesser and Greater spotted eagles were shown to change their migration trajectories because of the war in Ukraine. www.cell.com/current-biol...

The article on dogs from the Ukrainian frontline showing evidence of malnutrition and mortality-based selection has been receiving great attention! 🐕🐕🐕 It's generating a lot of discussion, and you can read it here! 👇 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70182

The terrible war that Russia is waging on Ukraine not only affects humans, but also animals. Feralized dogs are under natural selection to lose their dog-like traits, and become more wolf-like again. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @evolappjournal.bsky.social

Maine's catch of lobsters declined for the fourth straight year, state fishing regulators said Friday, as the industry continued to grapple with soaring business costs, inflation and a changing ocean. www.news4jax.com/business/202...

Our paper is out in @Science! The Atlantic silverside spans Earth's steepest latitudinal gradient in coastal sea-surface temperature. Despite high gene flow, populations show clinal genetic variation in multiple locally adapted traits. doi.org/10.1126/scie...

An appropriate 'speech', just before #InternationalWomen'sDay, 8th March. 🍀

A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell

Rising ocean temperatures threaten #corals in the Western Indian Ocean 🌊 #seascapegenomics helped identify coral populations and genes associated with thermal tolerance in two coral species 🧬 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70206 📷 O. Selmoni, C. Dale & UNDP Mauritius and Seychelles Collage by Annie Guillaume

Spoke about women in science and my journey. Careers look linear because we only see the chosen path. The “straight line” implies certainty. In reality, decisions reflect who we are and our life stage. Science careers are squiggly—and that’s normal. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt5B...

New out: A Beginner’s Guide to Structural Variants in Eco-Evolutionary Population Genomics. We outline how to detect and analyse SVs, discuss key challenges, and provide a practical framework for population-level studies A resource for students entering SV research. doi.org/10.1111/mec....

Conservation genomics and assisted introgression is saving the American chestnut from extermination by invasive non-native pathogens. #consgen

We’re excited to share the Pan-genomes Doorstep Meeting @ #PEQG26! Join this 3-hour workshop on evolutionary applications of pangenomics, covering construction, analysis, phylogenetics, annotation & graph QC. Register separately or as an add-on to PEQG: genetics-gsa.org/peqg-2026/do...

🚨Final call for papers🚨 Joint Special Issue with Molecular Ecology! Theme: Evolutionary Genomics & Climate Change 🌍🧬 📅 Submit by February 28🏃‍♂️ Reach out to us and @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social if you wanna know more! And please help us spread the word 🦧

📢 PhD position – Evolutionary & Conservation Genomics We invite applications for a 48-month PhD in the project “Genetic load and adaptive potential of European bison.” evobio.web.amu.edu.pl/2026/01/27/p... #PhD #Genomics #ConservationGenomics #EvolutionaryBiology #aDNA

New review! Theory & a practical guide to structural variants in popgen🧬 Many thanks to my co-authors: @rebekahoomen.bsky.social @annatigano.bsky.social @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social @janawold.bsky.social @dlfield.bsky.social @clairemerot.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Dispersal shapes population stability and evolutionary potential, yet linking larval traits to gene flow in marine species remains challenging. A study examined 10 coastal species with varying pelagic larval durations (PLD), using consistent sampling and genetic data (ddRAD, microsatellites) (1/2)

Do you think you understand effective population size (Ne)? This key concept for conservation is complex.. but a new Special Issue organized by @jmergeay.bsky.social et al. provides clarity with 19 papers help us understand more 🧬 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70196

We have compiled a special issue for @evolappjournal.bsky.social on Effective population size in Conservation and Biodiversity Monitoring, dedicated to the late Michael W. Bruford. This SI is a must read for everyone who struggles with what "effective population size" means. #consgen

[New Paper] @evolappjournal.bsky.social is a proof-of-concept that ultraconserved elements (UCEs) is also useful for population genomic analyses, in addition to phylogenomic reconstructions! We compared results from UCEs to those from RAD-seq. OPEN ACCESS: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Out now in ‘Evolutionary applications’, the last chapter of Anna’s PhD thesis, in which she used whole genome sequencing data of contemporary and historic European gull-billed terns to assess whether the population decline in part of their range has had genetic consequences: doi.org/10.1111/eva....

new paper out (the "big" PhD chapter) led by @thefentagon.bsky.social Sam Fenton shows how conservation risk varies across locations and the first broad scale assessment of the high diversity of Scotland's Arctic charr.

A drought nearly wiped out a protected population of unarmoured stickleback. Their numbers recovered, but their defining trait didn't: unarmoured fish went from 51% to ~15%. Conservation must protect the traits that make populations unique, not just their existence 🐟 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70189

Want to study the genomics of repeated adaptation with data from hundreds of species? New funding for non-Canadians @ grad or postdoc level. Internal competition at UCalgary with very short deadline so please get in touch ASAP!! sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/funding/o...

BIG FIGHT AT POLAND’S WROCLAW ZOO!!!

As climates shift, breeding must adapt. We show how Genomic Offsets can guide selection for resilience—predicting future genetic mismatches before they arise. researchgate.net/publication/...

The brown planthopper is a major rice pest in Asia. Study reveals complex & variable migration pathways from at least two distinct overwintering populations. This is key for forecasting outbreaks and for pest control 🌱 doi.org/10.1111/eva.70171

Predator-stressed eggs, metal-stressed larvae, and time-stressed both - how damselflies cope across life stages. ⏳🦞☠️ #EcoEvo #Stress #Plasticity #Insects doi.org/10.1111/eva.70169 Photo: Ulf Norling - Professor-emeritus from Lund University, Sweden

🌲New study on Scots pine shows how hyperspectral phenotyping and genomic tools can reveal heritable adaptive traits linked to drought resilience. A step forward for climate-smart forestry! 🌲 doi.org/10.1111/eva.... 📸: Jan Stejskal

And our (free access) paper @evolappjournal.bsky.social : onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....