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Category Archives: adaptation
Music to an amniote's ears, an "accordion" model of genome size evolution
How did we get where we are? Genetically speaking, that is. A few posts ago, that whole genotype-phenotype question was discussed, how do genomes make plants and animals (and don’t forget the microbes!) look and act how they do. Another … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, bioinformatics, evolution, genomics
Tagged adaptation, amniote evolution, natural selection, transposable elements
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The seeds of speciation
You don’t have to get very far into an evolution textbook before you bump into Darwin’s finches, the birds descended from South American finches that colonized the Galapagos Islands and “radiated” into an array of different species, each with a … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, birds, Coevolution, evolution, genomics, population genetics, speciation
Tagged crossbill, lodgepole pine
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Free to go but required to stay: contrasting views on mitochondrial relationships
Ever since a bacterium found itself mysteriously engulfed in our eukaryotic ancestor, things have been, uh, complicated regarding our two genomes. One is big, one is small. One is circular, one is linear. One is numerous in each cell, the … Continue reading
Artificial connectivity … have we overlooked the native range?
Invasive species are problematic throughout the world’s ecosystems, down even to their very name which incites heated debates. Every month, studies are published that describe the genetic structure and gene flow of non-native species in their introduced ranges. Often, these … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, conservation, evolution, natural history, phylogeography, population genetics
Tagged Biological Invasion, Ciona, Evolution, invasive species, marine, Sessile
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Humans, selection, evolution and ecological timescales … a potent cocktail
It’s been awhile since I last was able to write for TME. But, finally, I’ve stolen away some time to write about a recent study in Ecology Letters that I couldn’t put down once I started reading it. Yes, it’s about mating … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, evolution, natural history, plants, population genetics, selection, theory
Tagged Evolution, mating system, pesticide, selection
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Still ruffling feathers after all these years: Darwin's finches and a molecular view of adaptive radiation
One of the many lovely things about molecular ecology is its ability to shine new light on old stories. The well-known case of Darwin’s finches is a classic example of adaptive radiation. These finches demonstrate a clear instance where over time, … Continue reading
Conifer convergence
Convergent local adaptation is typically studied within a species or between closely related species. In these cases, it is perhaps not unexpected to observe parallel evolution due to common genetic variation, constraints, etc. Convergence between species is somewhat less studied, … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, association genetics, genomics, plants, selection, Uncategorized
Tagged adaptation, convergence, Evolution
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Visualizing the evolution of bacterial resistance
You have probably already seen this. It’s pretty amazing and beautiful and I watched it more than once (although I won’t say how many times….). If by some chance you didn’t catch this fantastic video, don’t fret, I’m here to … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, evolution, mutation
Tagged antibiotic resistance, E coli, superbug
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The Genomics of Rapid Adaptation
Phenology (the timing of life cycle events such as growth, breeding, or migration) is among the most sensitive organismal traits to climate and environmental change. In recent years, phenological shifts have been documented in numerous taxa, in traits such as … Continue reading