Rapid adaptation follows experimental assisted gene flow in subset of annual monkeyflower populations

This landscape-scale experiment on common yellow monkeyflowers demonstrates that assisted gene flow can rapidly introduce adaptive alleles and increase fitness in climate-threatened populations within three generations, though success varies by introduction method and environmental conditions while posing minimal risk of gene swamping.

Hinrichs, D. M., Patterson, C. M., Turcu, A. + 3 more2026-04-14📄 evolutionary biology

Inferring hominin history with recurrent gene flow from single unphased genomes and a two-locus statistic

This study introduces a novel inference framework using multi-population two-locus statistics derived from single unphased genomes to reconstruct complex hominin demographic history, revealing multiple episodes of gene flow between early modern humans and Neanderthals, introgression from an unsampled lineage into Denisovans, and specific ancestry patterns in early European farmers.

Collier, N. W., Gravel, S., Ragsdale, A. P.2026-04-12📄 evolutionary biology

An anaerobic Legionellales symbiont in Anaeramoeba pumila

This study characterizes *Candidatus* Centrionella anaeramoebae, a rare anaerobic Legionellales symbiont of *Anaeramoeba pumila* that has undergone genome reduction, acquired host-derived GTPase genes via horizontal transfer, and lost the symbiosome structure, thereby offering a unique model for the evolutionary transition from aerobic pathogenesis to anaerobic mutualism.

Zhang, T., Pavlatova, M., Williams, S. K. + 4 more2026-04-12📄 evolutionary biology

Early evolution of the prokaryotic transcription factor repertoire

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of prokaryotic transcription factors using a large-scale dataset, revealing that ancestral prokaryotes possessed a diverse TF repertoire that expanded steadily through early innovation and later horizontal gene transfer, contrasting sharply with the burst-like emergence of TF families observed in eukaryotic evolution.

Singh, I. R., Dubey, A., Seshasayee, A. S. N.2026-04-11📄 evolutionary biology

Retention of a female-specific growth hormone receptor gene correlates with reverse sexual size dimorphism in birds

This study identifies a female-specific growth hormone receptor gene (GHR-W) on the W chromosome that has been retained in certain bird lineages, such as hawks and owls, and demonstrates a robust correlation between the presence of this gene and reverse sexual size dimorphism where females are larger than males.

Rasband, S. A., Braun, M. J., Johnson, P. L. F.2026-04-11📄 evolutionary biology

Strong reproductive isolation among sympatric lineages of an international mosquito pest

Using population genomics and a chromosome-level assembly, researchers identified three cryptic, strongly reproductively isolated lineages of the mosquito *Aedes notoscriptus*, revealing that a single lineage (VIC1) drove international invasions while coexisting with a distinct lineage (VIC2) in Australia that exhibits hybridization barriers and a massive structural variant.

Paris, V., Endersby-Harshman, N., Rane, R. + 4 more2026-04-11📄 evolutionary biology

Polygyny carries costs in both sexes in Trinidadian guppies

This study on Trinidadian guppies demonstrates that while increased polygyny boosts male reproductive output, it also imposes significant costs on both sexes, including delayed reproduction and higher failure rates, suggesting that male mating performance is limited and sexual selection pressures may be more balanced between sexes than traditionally assumed.

van der Walle, T. M., Di Giorgio, F., Potter, T. + 1 more2026-04-10📄 evolutionary biology

The Monophyly of Nycteria and Polychromophilus Parasites A Missing Piece in the Evolution of Malaria and Other Haemosporida

By analyzing near-complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear loci, this study resolves the previously conflicting phylogenetic placement of the bat-restricted genera *Nycteria* and *Polychromophilus* as a strongly supported monophyletic clade, demonstrating that expanded genomic data is essential for accurately reconstructing the evolutionary history of Haemosporida.

Pacheco, M. A., Schaer, J., Werb, O. + 2 more2026-04-10📄 evolutionary biology

Re-evaluating the eukaryotic Tree of Life with independent phylogenomic data

By reconstructing the eukaryotic Tree of Life using a largely independent, marker-rich dataset that minimizes shared biases with previous studies, this research confirms most major supergroups while proposing revised phylogenetic positions for specific lineages, thereby supporting the hypothesis that extant eukaryotic diversity is organized into a small number of high-rank supergroups.

Leroy, R. B., Eme, L., Lopez-Garcia, P. + 1 more2026-04-10📄 evolutionary biology

Mothers face immediate, but family-size dependent, costs of sons in preindustrial Finland

Analysis of preindustrial Finnish data reveals that while having more sons does not immediately reduce maternal survival in small families, it significantly increases short-term mortality risks for mothers with larger families, suggesting accumulated physiological costs that are often overlooked in studies focusing on post-reproductive lifespans.

Young, E. A., van Dorp, L., Lahdenpera, M. + 2 more2026-04-10📄 evolutionary biology

Lineage-Specific Venom Gene Expression Shapes Chemical Diversity in Cephalopods

This study identifies and characterizes a novel, lineage-specific venom gene family called *deca-ctx* in decapodiform cephalopods, revealing its evolutionary history, structural diversity, and localization in specialized glands, thereby redefining the golden cuttlefish's SE-CTX as part of a complex and chemically diverse venom system.

Naidu, M. P., Pardos-Blas, J. R., Attarde, S. + 13 more2026-04-10📄 evolutionary biology

Reproductive morph specialisation facilitated by a maternal sex-determining region in a fungus gnat (Bradysia coprophila)

This study demonstrates that in the fungus gnat *Bradysia coprophila*, a maternal genetic sex-determining region drives the adaptive divergence of female reproductive morphs into distinct life history and gene expression profiles, thereby extending core principles of sexual dimorphism and sex chromosome evolution to maternal sex-determination systems.

Henot, M., Baird, R. B., Duncan, F. + 2 more2026-04-10📄 evolutionary biology