Evolutionary Biology

Evolution and diversity of biomineralized columnar architecture in early Cambrian phosphatic-shelled brachiopods

1. Zhiliang Zhang
2. Zhifei Zhang
3. Lars Holmer
4. Timothy P Topper
5. Bing Pan
6. Guoxiang Li

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study examines the evolution of the pillars in the shell architecture of organo-phosphatic brachiopods. The phylogenetic implications of this shell structure in relation to other early Cambrian brachiopod families are interpreted based on solid evidence. As such, this paper with interesting ideas regarding the evolution of brachiopod shell structure contributes to our understanding of the ecology and evolution of brachiopods as a whole.

Reviewed by eLife

Emergence of catalytic function in prebiotic information-coding polymers

1. Alexei V Tkachenko
2. Sergei Maslov

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study uses a model to determine when catalytic self-replication of polymers can emerge from a random pool of replicating polymers. The model accounts for the folding and function of polymers in addition to abstract evolutionary dynamics, providing solid evidence for the claims of the authors. The work will be of relevance to those interested in the origin of life, artificial cells, and evolutionary dynamics.

Reviewed by eLife

The last days of Aporia crataegi (L.) in Britain: evaluating genomic erosion in an extirpated butterfly

1. Rebecca Whitla
2. Korneel Hens
3. James Hogan
4. Geoff Martin
5. Casper Breuker
6. Timothy G. Shreeve
7. Saad Arif

Reviewed by PREreview

Interplay between fecundity, sexual and growth selection on the spring phenology of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.).

1. Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio
2. Aurore Bontemps
3. Julie Gauzere
4. Etienne K Klein

Reviewed by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology

The evolution of reduced facilitation in a four-species bacterial community

1. Philippe Piccardi
2. Eric Ulrich
3. Marc Garcia-Garcerà
4. Rita Di Martino
5. Samuele E. A. Testa
6. Sara Mitri

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Rapid life-history evolution reinforces competitive asymmetry between invasive and resident species

1. Elodie Chapuis
2. Philippe Jarne
3. Patrice David

Reviewed by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology

DNA methylation enables recurrent endogenization of giant viruses in an animal relative

1. Luke A. Sarre
2. Iana V. Kim
3. Vladimir Ovchinnikov
4. Marine Olivetta
5. Hiroshi Suga
6. Omaya Dudin
7. Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
8. Alex de Mendoza

Reviewed by preLights

A critical reexamination of recovered SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data

1. F. Débarre
2. Z. Hensel

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

The evolution of transposable elements in Brachypodium distachyon is governed by purifying selection, while neutral and adaptive processes play a minor role

1. Robert Horvath
2. Nikolaos Minadakis
3. Yann Bourgeois
4. Anne C Roulin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study seeks to disentangle the different selective forces shaping the evolutionary dynamics of transposable elements (TEs) in the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon. Using haplotype-length metrics, and genetic and environmental differentiation tests, the authors present convincing evidence that positive selection on TE polymorphisms is rare and that the distribution of TE ages points to purifying selection being the main force acting on TE evolution in this species. This study will be relevant for anyone interested in the role of TEs in evolution and adaptation.

Reviewed by eLife

Exploring the effects of ecological parameters on the spatial structure of genetic tree sequences

1. Mariadaria K. Ianni-Ravn
2. Martin Petr
3. Fernando Racimo

Reviewed by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology