Holacanthella paucispinosa on the cover of this month's issue of Nature Ecology and Evolution. Photo by Frank Ashwood

Breaking news: giant springtail from Aotearoa NZ made the cover of @natecoevo.nature.com!

This amazing pic of H. paucispinosa by @frankashwood.bsky.social should lure readers to the global study by @zheng-zhou.bsky.social et al on soil animal trophic diversity 🌍🌿🕷️🪱🪳🧪
www.nature.com/natecolevol/...

Cover image for the April 2026 issue of Nature Ecology & Evolution. The image shows a close-up image of a black and orange collembolan foraging in soil. The headline reads "Soil trophic diversity".

Our April issue is now live! www.nature.com/natecolevol/...

Featuring research on:

🦑 squid and cuttlefish diversification
🌊 priority questions for blue carbon science
🐦‍⬛ the emergence of Usutu virus

Cover image from Zhou et al (credit @frankashwood.bsky.social ) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

a cartoon fish is swimming in the ocean with its eyes closed . Alt: Scene from Finding Nemo, Dory the blue tang touches a jelly fish which stings her, causing her to retreat

While jellies are quite scary during stinger season, fishes that feed on these planktonic jellies contribute a whopping ~25% to the productivity of coral reef fishes 🪼🐟

Check out our new OA paper in @natecoevo.nature.com, led by PhD student James Gahan, here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Online magazine Folia @foliacivitatis.bsky.social from University of Amsterdam wrote about our article in @natecoevo.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41... about Ukrainian School in Evolutionary Biology!

www.folia.nl/wetenschap/1...

Population discontinuity in the Paris Basin linked to evidence of the Neolithic decline - Nature Ecology & Evolution Analysis of ancient human genomes from a Neolithic collective gallery grave in northern France points to population discontinuity and turnover between the third and fourth millennium BC.

Analysis of ancient human genomes from a Neolithic collective gallery grave in northern France points to population discontinuity and turnover between the third and fourth millennium BC 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Undaria pinnatifida gametophyte

Our work on chromatin evolution in brown algae is now published in @natecoevo.nature.com! We show that developmentally complex brown algae evolved without epigenetic silencing pathways long thought universal, underscoring why non-model lineages are important to study. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Read the accompanying News & Views commentary from Leyuan Li:

"Microbial pairing alters metabolic wiring" www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Free to read: rdcu.be/fboWw

A comprehensive dated phylogeny of China’s vascular plants reveals a hidden global biodiversity hotspot - Nature Ecology & Evolution A dated phylogeny of 16,585 vascular plant species native to China reveals three major centres of endemism, including a potential new global biodiversity hotspot.

A dated phylogeny of 16,585 vascular plant species native to China reveals three major centres of endemism, including a potential new global biodiversity hotspot 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

High‑resolution global maps revealing the expansion risk of thousands of non-native plant species under today’s conditions and future climate and land‑use scenarios have been produced for the first time. 🗺️

@natecoevo.nature.com @univie.ac.at @smartenwinter.bsky.social

www.idiv.de/global-model...

Interspecies interactions drive bacterial proteome reorganization and emergent metabolism - Nature Ecology & Evolution An analysis of the responses of 15 diverse human gut bacteria in more than 100 pairwise co-cultures reveals extensive remodelling of the bacterial proteome and metabolome in response to the presence o...

An analysis of the responses of 15 diverse human gut bacteria in more than 100 pairwise co-cultures reveals extensive remodelling of the bacterial proteome and metabolome in response to the presence of other species 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Kristina M. Gjerde (1957–2025) Nature Ecology & Evolution - Lawyer who was instrumental in securing protection for the high seas and the deep ocean.

Obituary:

Kristina M. Gjerde (1957–2025): rdcu.be/faYjs

Lawyer who was instrumental in securing protection for the high seas and the deep ocean.

A comprehensive dated phylogeny of China’s vascular plants reveals a hidden global biodiversity hotspot - Nature Ecology & Evolution A dated phylogeny of 16,585 vascular plant species native to China reveals three major centres of endemism, including a potential new global biodiversity hotspot.

A dated phylogeny of 16,585 vascular plant species native to China reveals three major centres of endemism, including a potential new global biodiversity hotspot 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Rapid mid-Cretaceous diversification of squid and cuttlefish preceded radiation into coastal niches - Nature Ecology & Evolution Phylogenomic analyses of newly sequenced and published decapodiform cephalopods separate open-ocean and coastal shallow-water clades, following rapid cladogenesis from the mid-Cretaceous.

Phylogenomic analyses of newly sequenced and published decapodiform cephalopods separate open-ocean and coastal shallow-water clades, following rapid cladogenesis from the mid-Cretaceous 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Kristina M. Gjerde (1957–2025) Nature Ecology & Evolution - Lawyer who was instrumental in securing protection for the high seas and the deep ocean.

Obituary:

Kristina M. Gjerde (1957–2025): rdcu.be/faYjs

Lawyer who was instrumental in securing protection for the high seas and the deep ocean.

Rapid mid-Cretaceous diversification of squid and cuttlefish preceded radiation into coastal niches - Nature Ecology & Evolution Phylogenomic analyses of newly sequenced and published decapodiform cephalopods separate open-ocean and coastal shallow-water clades, following rapid cladogenesis from the mid-Cretaceous.

Our new paper on squid and cuttlefish evolution is out in @natecoevo.nature.com : www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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The global geography of plant invasion risk under future climate and land-use changes - Nature Ecology & Evolution The spread of non-native species is likely to be compounded by further climate change and land-use intensification. Here the authors assess the potential distribution of 9,701 naturalized non-native p...

The spread of non-native species is likely to be compounded by climate change and land-use. Here the authors assess the potential distribution of 9,701 naturalized non-native plant species at a 10×10km resolution & project shifts under 2 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Evolution of a distinct chromatin regulatory landscape in brown algae - Nature Ecology & Evolution Chromatin plays a central role in gene regulation, but chromatin systems are only known for a few model species. This study analyses chromatin regulatory landscapes in brown algal lineages to elucidat...

Chromatin plays a central role in gene regulation, but chromatin systems are only known for a few model species. This study analyses chromatin regulatory landscapes in brown algal lineages to elucidate their structural organization and evolution 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Missing planktivore functions drive global variation in reef fish productivity - Nature Ecology & Evolution This analysis of coral reef fish community structure reveals major differences in the energetic potential of planktivorous assemblages between Indo-Pacific and Caribbean coral reefs. Indo-Pacific reef...

This analysis of coral reef fish community structure reveals major differences in the energetic potential of planktivorous assemblages between Indo-Pacific and Caribbean coral reefs, with Indo-Pacific reefs support greater planktivorous fish biomass and productivity 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Taxonomic composition and ecophysiology of resident bacteria associated with marine phytoplankton - Nature Ecology & Evolution This study reveals that some bacteria living in the phycosphere of marine diatoms and dinoflagellates are host-specific with genomic functions matching their hosts, while some termed as ‘foundation’ b...

This study reveals that some bacteria living in the phycosphere of marine diatoms and dinoflagellates are host-specific with genomic functions matching their hosts, while some termed as ‘foundation’ bacteria can span both phycosphere types 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Priority questions for the next decade of blue carbon science - Nature Ecology & Evolution This paper conducted a priority-setting exercise to identify ten questions that define the future direction of blue carbon science. It highlights key gaps, emerging challenges and opportunities for ad...

A priority-setting exercise to identify ten questions that define the future direction of blue carbon science highlights key gaps, emerging challenges and opportunities for advancing climate mitigation, ecosystem management and evidence-based policy 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Priority questions for the next decade of blue carbon science - Nature Ecology & Evolution This paper conducted a priority-setting exercise to identify ten questions that define the future direction of blue carbon science. It highlights key gaps, emerging challenges and opportunities for ad...

A priority-setting exercise to identify ten questions that define the future direction of blue carbon science highlights key gaps, emerging challenges and opportunities for advancing climate mitigation, ecosystem management and evidence-based policy 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Taxonomic composition and ecophysiology of resident bacteria associated with marine phytoplankton - Nature Ecology & Evolution This study reveals that some bacteria living in the phycosphere of marine diatoms and dinoflagellates are host-specific with genomic functions matching their hosts, while some termed as ‘foundation’ b...

This study reveals that some bacteria living in the phycosphere of marine diatoms and dinoflagellates are host-specific with genomic functions matching their hosts, while some termed as ‘foundation’ bacteria can span both phycosphere types 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Greater trophic diversity of soil animal communities under agricultural land use and tropical climate - Nature Ecology & Evolution Soil fauna is an important but often neglected component of terrestrial food webs. Here the authors use a large dataset of stable isotope observations to analyse how soil animal trophic diversity vari...

Here the authors use a large dataset of stable isotope observations to analyse how soil animal trophic diversity varies across climates and land-use types and identify potential biotic mechanisms 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our March issue is out! www.nature.com/nrbd/volumes...
Key topics:
💧Extreme events and river biodiversity (@jdtonkin.bsky.social)
🌇Urban eco-evolutionary dynamics (@kmwinchell.bsky.social)
🦋Butterflies and moths (Akito Kawahara)
📊Biodiversity model intercomparisons (@zurelllab.bsky.social)
🧪🌎

Evolution in Medicine Pressing medical issues such as cancer, infectious disease and drug resistance are products of evolution.

This month we launch a Focus issue on Evolution in Medicine, including opinion, review and research pieces on how evolutionary principles and new technologies can inform the prediction and control of disease: www.nature.com/collections/...

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Chikungunya virus Nature Ecology & Evolution - Yajna Ramphal and Tulio de Oliveira are fascinated by the adaptive evolution of chikungunya virus.

While Yajna Ramphal and Tulio de Oliveira are fascinated by the adaptive evolution of chikungunya virus: rdcu.be/e8X6K

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Yellow fever virus Nature Ecology & Evolution - Witnessing the effects of yellow fever virus in Brazil motivates Filipe Abreu’s work.

Finally, this issue also includes two Species Spotlights that profile mosquito-borne viruses that cause disease: Filipe Abreu outlines how witnessing the effects of yellow fever virus in Brazil motivates his work: rdcu.be/e8X6g

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Evolutionary drivers of divergent collateral sensitivity responses during antibiotic therapy - Nature Ecology & Evolution Collateral sensitivity, in which resistance to one antibiotic results in increased sensitivity to another antibiotic, is a strategy to reduce the evolution of antibiotic resistance. This Review discus...

In this Review by Casier et al the authors discuss evolutionary mechanisms that affect responses to therapies that rely on collateral sensitivity, in which resistance to one antibiotic results in increased sensitivity to another antibiotic www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Context dependency is essential for predicting intrahost evolution - Nature Ecology & Evolution The ability to predict rapid evolutionary processes within our bodies would advance both medical science and evolutionary biology. We discuss technologies that move us towards intrahost evolutionary p...

A Comment by Feder & DeWitt argues that to predict the health effects of pathogens we need not only to link genotype to phenotype but also to understand how phenotype affects function and fitness www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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How somatic evolution affects health - Nature Ecology & Evolution As somatic evolution becomes directly measurable, integrating eco-evolutionary principles with high-resolution molecular data creates opportunities to anticipate and prevent disease.

In another Comment, Cagan explores how high-fidelity sequencing and models that capture eco-evolutionary mechanisms can be used to understand variation in clonal dynamics across different tissues in our body, with the goal of predicting and preventing disease. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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