Ecology

Range geographies, not functional traits, explain convergent range and phenology shifts under climate change

1. Catherine Sirois-Delisle
2. Susan CC Gordon
3. Jeremy T Kerr

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This article presents valuable findings on the impact of climate change on odonates, integrating phenological and range shifts to broaden our understanding of biodiversity change. The study leverages extensive natural history data, offering a combined analysis of temporal trends in phenology and distribution and their potential drivers. The support for the findings is solid, though additional clarification regarding the methods and alternative sensitivity analyses could make the conclusions more convincing.

Reviewed by eLife

Neuropeptide Bursicon and its receptor mediated the transition from summer-form to winter-form of Cacopsylla chinensis

1. Zhixian Zhang
2. Jianying Li
3. Yilin Wang
4. Zhen Li
5. Xiaoxia Liu
6. Songdou Zhang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study reports that the neurohormone, bursicon, and its receptor, play a role in the seasonal polyphenism of the bug Cacopsylla chinensis. Low temperature activates the bursicon signaling pathway during the transition from the summer to the winter form, affecting cuticle pigment and thickness as well as chitin content. The solid experiments reveal how bursicon signaling, which is modulated by the microRNA miR-6012, regulates features of polyphenism related to the exoskeleton, although it is less clear what the upstream regulatory events are.

Reviewed by eLife

Negative impact of mild arid conditions in natural rodent populations revealed using markers of physiological condition in natura

1. Hamilcar Keilani
2. Nico Avenant
3. Pierre Caminade
4. Neville Pillay
5. Guila Ganem

Reviewed by Peer Community In Zoology

Desmodium Volatiles in “Push-Pull” Agriculture and Protection Against the Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda

1. Daria M Odermatt
2. Frank Chidawanyika
3. Daniel M Mutyambai
4. Bernhard Schmid
5. Luiz A Domeignoz-Horta
6. Amanuel Tamiru
7. Meredith C Schuman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Research on push-pull systems often focuses on controlled environments, limiting our understanding of their effectiveness under real-world conditions. This important study has validated how push-pull systems work in natural settings. However, the manuscript remains incomplete, since the findings have only been partially supported, as acknowledged by the authors.

Reviewed by eLife

Full factorial construction of synthetic microbial communities

1. Juan Diaz-Colunga
2. Pablo Catalan
3. Magdalena San Roman
4. Andrea Arrabal
5. Alvaro Sanchez

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This manuscript introduces a new low-cost and accessible method for assembling combinatorially complete microbial consortia using basic laboratory equipment, which is a valuable contribution to the field of microbial ecology and biotechnology. The evidence presented is convincing, demonstrating the method's effectiveness through empirical testing on both synthetic colorants and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.

Reviewed by eLife, Arcadia Science

Wilting Wildflowers and Bummed-Out Bees: Climate Change Threatens U.S. State Symbols

1. Xuezhen Ge
2. Ya Zou
3. Heather A Hager
4. Jonathan A Newman

Reviewed by PREreview

Brochosomes as an antireflective camouflage coating for leafhoppers

1. Wei Wu
2. Qianzhuo Mao
3. Zhuangxin Ye
4. Zhenfeng Liao
5. Hong-Wei Shan
6. Jun-Min Li
7. Chuan-Xi Zhang
8. Jian-Ping Chen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Leafhoppers coat their body surface with nanoparticles, called brochosomes, which are an evolutionary innovation in this insect clade. The important paper adds significant evidence for the biological role of these structures consisting of a reflection effect of UV light as a defense against predatory spiders. Convincing support is provided for a new functional aspect of brochosomes, elucidating the emergence of the underlying genes and the principles of self-assembly of these biological nanoparticles.

Reviewed by eLife

Foxtrot migration and dynamic over-wintering range of an arctic raptor

1. Ivan Pokrovsky
2. Teja Curk
3. Andreas Dietz
4. Ivan Fufachev
5. Olga Kulikova
6. Sebastian Rößler
7. Martin Wikelski

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This fundamental work describes an understudied bird migration pattern using data from an Arctic raptor. With an extensive dataset and comprehensive analyses, the observed pattern is convincing. This study will be of interest to researchers exploring the ecological drivers of bird migration.

Reviewed by eLife

Body mass change over winter is consistently sex-specific across roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) populations

1. A.J. Mark Hewison
2. Nadège C. Bonnot
3. Jean-Michel Gaillard
4. Petter Kjellander
5. Jean-François Lemaitre
6. Nicolas Morellet
7. Maryline Pellerin

Reviewed by Peer Community in Ecology

Genetic diversity affects ecosystem functions across trophic levels as much as species diversity, but in an opposite direction

1. Laura Fargeot
2. Camille Poesy
3. Maxim Lefort
4. Jérôme G. Prunier
5. Madoka Krick
6. Rik Verdonck
7. Charlotte Veyssière
8. Murielle Richard
9. Delphine Legrand
10. Géraldine Loot
11. Simon Blanchet

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents valuable findings from an observational dataset in a riverine ecosystem about the effects of genetic and species diversity, across multiple trophic levels, on ecosystem functions. However, the support for these findings is currently incomplete because raw data are not provided and there is insufficient information in the manuscript for readers to understand and assess the statistical analyses and conclusions. The work will be of broad interest to ecologists.

Reviewed by eLife