Pollination impacts how plants respond to herbivore attack

A new study published in Evolution Letters shows that when plants evolve under different pollination regimes, their responses to herbivory also differ. Florian P Schiestl tells us more. What happens when a herbivore starts feeding on a plant? Most often, plants respond by upregulating their defense mechanisms, such as increasing their toxicity or producing more …

Resolving a 150 year old argument: why do male and female butterflies differ in colour?

A new paper published in Evolution Letters provides a deeper look at the evolutionary history of the colors of butterflies. Here, lead author Wouter van der Bijl tells us more. The females and males of species often look and act different from each other. These differences are called sexual dimorphism, and when the sexes differ …

Selection on a plumage‐associated gene block maintains a stable boundary between two warbler species

A new paper published in Evolution Letters examines the genomic underpinnings of speciation by studying the divergent pigment traits of two warbler species in a hybrid zone. Here, lead author Dr Silu Wang tells us more. What kind of genomic regions are most important for speciation of songbirds? The genes underlying species-specific plumage coloration are …

Worker rebellion: a role for imprinted genes in bumblebees?

We don’t just inherit DNA from our parents, we also inherit chemical marks which can tell our genes how to behave. These marks can sometimes make our genes work in a way that goes against traditional evolutionary understanding. A new study in Evolution Letters explains how bumblebees may hold the key to validating new theories …