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Spatiotemporal variation in natural selection is expected, but difficult to estimate. Pollinator-mediated selection on floral traits provides a good system for understanding and linking variation in selection to differences in ecological context. We studied pollinator-mediated selection in five populations of Dalechampia scandens (Euphorbiaceae) in Costa Rica and Mexico. Using a nonlinear path-ana
Individual variation among and within natural populations can have eco-evolutionary implications by, for example, affecting species interactions or evolutionary potential. Urban systems present a unique opportunity to evaluate how environmental change shapes variation since urban phenotypic differentiation is widely documented on contemporary timescales. We introduce and test three hypotheses to d
Natural history museum collections (NHC) represent an underutilized yet valuable resource for tracking environmental changes and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems. Historical samples, particularly foraminifera collected during marine expeditions from the late 1800s to mid-1900s, offer crucial baseline data pre-dating significant human influence. These collections, often accompanied by oce
Varved lake sediments offer valuable insight into past environmental conditions with high temporal resolution and precise chronological control. A combination of diatom and geochemical analyses of the recently deposited sediments of Odensjön, a small dimictic lake in southern Sweden, shows alternating light and dark laminae composed of greater amounts of biogenic silica and organic matter, respect
Conflicts of interests between males and females over reproduction is a universal feature of sexually reproducing organisms and has driven the evolution of intersexual mimicry, mating behaviours and reproductive polymorphisms. Here, we show how temperature drives pre-reproductive selection in a female colour polymorphic insect that is subject to strong sexual conflict. These species have three fem
Fungi play many essential roles in ecosystems. They facilitate plant access to nutrients and water, serve as decay agents that cycle carbon and nutrients through the soil, water and atmosphere, and are major regulators of macro-organismal populations. Although technological advances are improving the detection and identification of fungi, there still exist key gaps in our ecological knowledge of t
Interspecific hybridization is the process where closely related species mate and produce offspring with admixed genomes. The genomic revolution has shown that hybridization is common, and that it may represent an important source of novel variation. Although most interspecific hybrids are sterile or less fit than their parents, some may survive and reproduce, enabling the transfer of adaptive var
There are many ways in which climate futures can be envisioned, such asglobal and regional climate models, scenarios of future emission trajectories, orpathways and visions of societal transformation. All these anticipatory practicesaim to make the climatic future knowable in the present. In so doing, they quiteoften envision a climatic future that is inherently violent: a future marked bydisaster
Euglossine bees are an ecologically important group, which due to their diverse resource needs act as pollinators of many neotropical plants. Male euglossines collect fragrant compounds used in mating displays from diverse sources, including the flowers of orchids and other plants. This aspect of euglossine biology has proven exceptionally useful for studies of euglossine bee populations, because
The rhizosphere priming effect (RPE), which occurs in the presence of growing plant roots, may either stimulate or reduce the decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM). The carbon and nitrogen cycling in forest soils could be more rapid or slower due to the RPE, depending on the tree species and their growing conditions. Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) are two commer
Many workers are exposed to heat stress that can be exacerbated by the type of clothing they wear. The resulted heat strain can lead to short or long-term heat-related disorders. This study aimed to measure clothing properties of sugarcane field workers and evaluate the heat strain by an international standard, predicted heat strain model (PHS). The clothing thermal insulation and evaporative resi
Climate change has the potential to affect the ecology and evolution of every species on Earth. Although the ecological consequences of climate change are increasingly well documented, the effects of climate on the key evolutionary process driving adaptation - natural selection - are largely unknown. We report that aspects of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration, along with the North Atl
We documented the annual cycle of the carbon isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (δ13CDIC) in the water columns of the Skagerrak and Baltic Sea to obtain an increased understanding of the processes involved controlling the carbon isotopic distribution in shelf seas. The lowest δ13CDIC values (-4.9‰) were found in the low-oxygen, brackish Baltic bottom water whereas the highest value
During the last decade there has been an ongoing controversy regarding the extent to which nitrogen fertilization can increase carbon sequestration and net ecosystem production in forest ecosystems. The debate is complicated by the fact that increased nitrogen availability caused by nitrogen deposition has coincided with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The latter could furthe
Even though anthropogenic nano-sized tungsten carbide nanoparticles (WC NPs) have been found in the environment, there are currently no investigations on their environmental fate. This work studies the interaction between natural organic matter (NOM) and WC NPs, as well as the potential uptake by the aquatic model organism Daphnia magna. We here show that the affinity between WC NPs and humic acid
Background: Soils are important global carbon pools that are under threat from intensive land use through a variety of agricultural practices. Sustainable management of agricultural soils may have the potential to mitigate climate change through increased carbon sequestration and increase their fertility. Among management practices to increase carbon sequestration, crop rotation designs have often
Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is a cereal grass mainly used as animal fodder and raw material for the malting industry. The map-based reference genome sequence of barley cv. â € Morex' was constructed by the International Barley Genome Sequencing Consortium (IBSC) using hierarchical shotgun sequencing. Here, we report the experimental and computational procedures to (i) sequence and assemble more th
In boreal forests, ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are found in soil layers containing decomposed litter and humus-rich soil organic matter (SOM). This chapter summarizes the present understanding of the mechanisms for oxidative decomposition of SOM and the hydrolysis and mobilization of organic N and P sources by ECM fungi. It discusses how these processes may influence the formation and stability of
