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Phylogenetic inference is challenged by genealogical heterogeneity amongst molecular markers. Such discordance is driven predominantly by incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and interspecific gene flow, and bears attendant consequences for the accurate resolution of species relationships. Understanding the distribution of gene conflict in organismal genomes is, therefore, a key aspect of phylogenetic
Focusing on three initiatives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat – the Momentum for Change Initiative, the Lima–Paris Action Agenda, and the Non-state Actor Zone for Climate Action – this chapter studies how an international environmental bureaucracy can evolve from a low-key and servant-like secretariat to an actor in its own right. It argues that in
Das Verfehlen globaler und nationaler Biodiversitätsziele legt nahe, dass sich unser politisches, ökonomisches und soziales Handeln deutlich stärker als bisher ändern muss, um den Rückgang der biologischen Vielfalt aufzuhalten und den negativen Trend umzukehren. Angesichts der Aktualisierung der Nationalen Strategie zur biologischen Vielfalt (Nationale Biodiversitätsstrategie - NBS) 2030 stellt si
While the post-1945 period witnessed the rise of multilateralism and the creation of numerous international institutions to deal with cross-border issues, the 21st century is marked by their contestation and transformation. The United Nations, including its specialized agencies and several other bodies, has come under heavy criticism for the inability to effectively cope with global challenges. In
Flower-visiting insects and the plants that depend on them are declining due to habitat loss and deterioration. Road verges, which often provide abundant floral resources, are gaining attention for their potential conservation value, as they can support a high abundance and diversity of flower-visiting insects. Thereby, flower-abundant road verges may benefit pollination in surrounding landscapes.
The world faces multiple water crises, including overextraction, flooding, ecosystem degradation and inequitable safe water access. Insufficient funding and ineffective implementation impede progress in water access, while, in part, a misdiagnosis of the causes has prioritized some responses over others (for example, hard over soft infrastructure). We reframe the responses to mitigating the world’
Evolutionary changes in geographic distribution and larval host plants may promote the rapid diversification of montane insects, but this scenario has been rarely investigated. We studied the rapid radiation of the butterfly genus Colias, which has diversified in mountain ecosystems in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. Based on a data set of 150 nuclear protein-coding genetic loci and mitochondri
Fragmentation refers to the plurality and differences among institutions in the contemporary, decentralized global governance system. Global sustainability governance is a prime example for fragmentation: lacking a central authority, sustainability governance is addressed by myriad institutions across international, national, regional and local spheres. This creates opportunities for synergies but
The Neotropical butterfly genus Adelpha Hübner exhibits remarkable species diversity and striking convergence in wing colour patterns potentially explained by mimicry, making it an exceptional model for exploring trait evolution and its relationship with speciation. To date, unresolved phylogenetic relationships hinder a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary biology of the genus. Using a
In this article, we examine how climate adaptation policies can operate as mechanisms of dispossession, displacing marginalized communities under the guise of environmental protection. We introduce the concept of ‘adaptation by dispossession’ to describe how interventions framed as responses to climate-related hazards justify forced removal, exclusion and the reallocation of land and resources. Dr
Project Psyche is a transnational initiative to generate and study chromosome-level reference genomes of all ~11 000 species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) found in Europe. Here, we describe the decentralised network of collection and sequencing hubs that has enabled rapid progress, the standardised protocols for sampling and sequencing, and the collaborative framework for data analysis. W
Species of the ascomycetous genus Cladobotryum (Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae) are ecologically and economically important mycoparasites that cause cobweb disease in cultivated and wild mushrooms. Despite their significance as fungal pathogens and producers of bioactive metabolites, the taxonomy of Cladobotryum remains unresolved due to extensive morphological plasticity, complex teleomorph–anamorph c
Background The prevalence of mental health issues is rising, especially among youth. Research shows that diagnosable and subthreshold mood disorder symptoms are increasing. Notably, and particularly troublesome, there are indications that some mental health issues, such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and disordered eating (DE) behaviors, have increased during the last decades, these reports, h
Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations. The consequences of this include rising temperatures, shifts in precipitation patterns, and increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and droughts. Elevated temperatures can accelerate microbial activity in soil, potentially resulting in an increased rate of soil
Microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) describes the partitioning of carbon (C) between respiration and growth, and this defines the soil-atmosphere C balance. Despite its importance, CUE is not properly represented in soil biogeochemical models. Here, we estimated how CUE varied in soil along a continental gradient. Through a structural equation model, we found that bacterial growth, fungal commun
Community cohesion is a recent concept in ecology referring to the varying levels of connectivity and integration between populations of different taxonomic or functional groups within ecosystems. Positive cohesion denotes positive interactions such as mutualism or facilitation, while negative cohesion implies negative interactions such as competitive exclusion or a preference for different habita
