Molecular ecology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Arctic sea-ice ridges support distinct microbial and algal communities and hold up to 80% of summer ice algal biomass, transitioning from winter repositories to summer hotspots, based on seasonal surveys of ridge habitats and biomass.

Here, the authors combine ancient DNA, stable isotopes, and computational modeling to study colorful feathers from a pre-Incan tomb in Peru. They identify four species of parrots, which were likely captured in the Amazon before being transported across the Andes before being fed a local, coastal diet.

Herbivory has evolved multiple times across mammals. This study investigates the evolutionary adaptation of the enzyme alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT) in mammals and finds AGT’s peroxisomal targeting efficiency, driven by the PTS1 motif, plays a crucial role in adapting to plant-based diets.

Annaliese Meyer explains how an autonomous underwater vehicle can filter large volumes of water for high resolution marine omic sampling.

Data that span 15 generations reveal how gene flow and selection in a subordinate mesopredator are affected by pathogen-driven declines in the population density of a top predator. This work highlights the evolutionary impacts of interspecific competition and elucidates landscape-scale effects of an indirect interaction between a pathogen and nonhost species.

An article in Molecular Ecology describes the factors shaping microbial eukaryotic populations and their role in the carbon cycle at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.