Category Archives: Molecular Ecology, the journal

Polyploidy in the era of GBS

Ploidy, dear reader, is something that I think about literally all the time. It impacts every facet of my research from the field to the bench to the stats used to analyze data sets. It’s been simultaneously the greatest and the … Continue reading

Posted in bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, haploid-diploid, Molecular Ecology, the journal, natural history, plants, speciation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted in adaptation, Molecular Ecology, the journal, phylogenetics, population genetics, selection, speciation | Tagged , | Leave a comment

When microbes can move mountains, studying microbial communities on glaciers

Bacteria are amazing, and as a recent article by Ambrosini and colleagues reminds us, they are quite literally, just about everywhere. Before reading this article, I have to admit, I was a little rusty on my definition of cryoconite holes, … Continue reading

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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

Posted in adaptation, association genetics, evolution, genomics, Molecular Ecology, the journal, population genetics, RNAseq, selection, speciation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

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

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RADseq and missing data: some considerations

Unlike Sanger sequencing, where loci are directly targeted for each individual and sequencing errors are relatively rare, massively multilocus datasets from next generation sequencing platforms are characterized by large amounts of missing data. This is particularly true for restriction digest … Continue reading

Posted in bioinformatics, genomics, methods, Molecular Ecology, the journal, next generation sequencing, phylogenetics, population genetics, theory | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Nominations solicited for the 2016 Molecular Ecology Prize

Fred Allendorf, recipient of the 2015 Molecular Ecology Prize and chair of the Molecular Ecology Prize Selection Committee, requests nominations for the 2016 Molecular Ecology Prize. See details below for how to nominate an accomplished scientist working in evolution, ecology, … Continue reading

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Fred Allendorf receives the 2015 Molecular Ecology Prize

Fred Allendorf literally wrote the book on conservation genetics, as part of a career of research ranging from basic evolutionary biology to studies of the specific genetic risks incurred by rare and endangered species. The 2015 Molecular Ecology prize recognizes … Continue reading

Posted in community, conservation, genomics, Molecular Ecology, the journal | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The biggest problem in landscape genetics and how to fix it

Landscape genetics is a field that has expanded rapidly in recent years, but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t gone without criticism. Perhaps the largest problem with landscape genetics (LG) studies is one of timing. If you observe genetic differentiation … Continue reading

Posted in methods, Molecular Ecology, the journal, population genetics | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Large predators, large data, large conservation issues

We are a diverse group here at The Molecular Ecologist. Melissa writes love letters to sponges. Stacy takes you on exotic kelp road trips. Arun gives you another excuse to spend the afternoon playing with R. I feel that it is … Continue reading

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