#Research reveals how mating influences females’ life history and ageing

“#Research reveals how mating influences females’ life history and ageing” Credit: CC0 Public Domain New University of Otago research provides insight into how males influence their mates’ health, growth and fertility. Published today in the American science journal PNAS, the animal research shows that mating with sterile males early in life increases female growth and…

Read More

#Parallel evolution in three-spined sticklebacks

“#Parallel evolution in three-spined sticklebacks” The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a thumb-sized fish distributed across the Northern hemisphere, is a textbook model species in evolutionary biology. Credit: Petri Kuokka A group of researchers from the University of Helsinki used novel and powerful methods to disentangle the patterns of parallel evolution of freshwater three-spined sticklebacks at…

Read More

#Changing environment at home genetically primes invasive species to take over abroad

“#Changing environment at home genetically primes invasive species to take over abroad” The copepod Eurytemora affinisis a small, ubiquitous crustacean found throughout the world’s oceans. It has also managed to invade freshwater lakes. Credit: Carol Eunmi Lee University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists have found that a constantly fluctuating environment can enable some species to invade new…

Read More

#How sexual competition and choice could protect species from extinction

“#How sexual competition and choice could protect species from extinction” New research shows that removing sexual competition and choice through enforced monogamy creates populations that are less resilient to environmental stress, such as climate change.The research team looked at how flour beetles (pictured) coped with environmental and genetic stress after they had evolved under monogamous…

Read More

#Origins of genetic variability in seals

“#Origins of genetic variability in seals” Credit: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich A new study led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers shows that fluctuations in population sizes in the past have had a significant effect on contemporary seal populations, and estimates the risk of genetic impoverishment in the species investigated. In the course of…

Read More