Evolutionary Biology

Cortex cis -regulatory switches establish scale colour identity and pattern diversity in Heliconius

1. Luca Livraghi
2. Joseph J. Hanly
3. Steven M. Van Belleghem
4. Gabriela Montejo-Kovacevich
5. Eva S. M. van der Heijden
6. Ling Sheng Loh
7. Anna Ren
8. Ian A. Warren
9. James J. Lewis
10. Carolina Concha
11. Laura H. López
12. Charlotte Wright
13. Jonah M. Walker
14. Jessica Foley
15. Zachary H. Goldberg
16. Henry Arenas-Castro
17. Michael W. Perry
18. Riccardo Papa
19. Arnaud Martin
20. W. Owen McMillan
21. Chris D. Jiggins

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper shows complex gene regulation for a simple binary switch phenotype. Cis-regulatory elements that control expression from the promoter of the gene cortex are shown to be evolutionary targets for changing cortex-dependent scale types in a discrete region of the Heliconius hindwing. Multiple approaches are used to identify the likely causal genetic variation in the cortex locus that is responsible for the presence/absence of the yellow band. It is an interesting case showing how a gene with a homogeneous expression pattern across the wing (during the pupal stage) can still have "hidden" modular regulatory regions that drive unique functions (albeit not expression) is specific regions of the wing.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

The evolution of coloration and opsins in tarantulas

1. Saoirse Foley
2. Vinodkumar Saranathan
3. William H. Piel

Reviewed by eLife

Expression of Concern: Natural copy number variation of tandemly repeated regulatory SNORD RNAs leads to individual phenotypic differences in mice

1. Maryam Keshavarz
2. Yoland Savriama
3. Peter Refki
4. R. Guy Reeves
5. Diethard Tautz

Reviewed by Review Commons

Meaning-making behavior in a small-brained hominin, Homo naledi , from the late Pleistocene: contexts and evolutionary implications

1. Agustin Fuentes
2. Marc Kissel
3. Penny Spikins
4. Keneiloe Molopyane
5. John Hawks
6. Lee R. Berger

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The discovery of Homo naledi-associated evidence for intentional burial and engravings would undoubtedly have important implications for our understanding of the evolution of complex cognition and behavior. Based on claims made in two related preprints by Berger et al., this study discusses the potential implications of the purported mortuary practice and symbolic behaviors claimed to be associated with the small-brained H. naledi remains. Unfortunately, the evidence presented in the two related submissions that the current paper entirely relies on is incomplete at this stage.

Reviewed by eLife

241,000 to 335,000 Years Old Rock Engravings Made by Homo naledi in the Rising Star Cave system, South Africa

1. Lee R. Berger
2. John Hawks
3. Agustin Fuentes
4. Dirk van Rooyen
5. Mathabela Tsikoane
6. Maropeng Ramalepa
7. Samuel Nkwe
8. Keneiloe Molopyane

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This paper presents important information about potentially Homo naledi-associated markings discovered on the walls of the Hill Antechamber of the Rising Star Cave system, South Africa. If confirmed, the antiquity, intentionality, and authorship of the reported markings will have profound archaeological implications, as such behaviors are otherwise widely considered to be unique to our species, Homo sapiens. As it stands, the study is incomplete, and the evidence presented does not support the claims about the anthropogenic nature, age, and author of the engravings. While it is appreciated that this report concerns preliminary findings, all reviewers agree that: a) the initial nature of the reported results must be more clearly indicated, b) the anthropogenic nature of the engravings must be adequately demonstrated, c) ideally the chronology of the claimed engravings has to be established for any age estimate to be reliable, and d) the claim about H. naledi being the author of the reported engravings requires robust association.

Reviewed by eLife

Allopatric speciation is more prevalent than parapatric ecological divergence in a recent high-Andean diversification ( Linochilus: Asteraceae)

1. Oscar M. Vargas
2. Santiago Madriñán
3. Beryl Simpson

Reviewed by PeerJ

Weak seed banks influence the signature and detectability of selective sweeps

1. Kevin Korfmann
2. Diala Abu Awad
3. Aurélien Tellier

Reviewed by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology

Host-symbiont-gene phylogenetic reconciliation

1. Hugo Menet
2. Alexia Nguyen Trung
3. Vincent Daubin
4. Eric Tannier

Reviewed by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology

Durable resistance or efficient disease control? Adult Plant Resistance (APR) at the heart of the dilemma

1. Loup Rimbaud
2. Julien Papaïx
3. Jean-François Rey
4. Benoît Moury
5. Luke G. Barrett
6. Peter H. Thrall

Reviewed by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology

A macroevolutionary role for chromosomal fusion and fission in Erebia butterflies

1. Hannah Augustijnen
2. Livio Bätscher
3. Martin Cesanek
4. Tinatin Chkhartishvili
5. Vlad Dincă
6. Giorgi Iankoshvili
7. Kota Ogawa
8. Roger Vila
9. Seraina Klopfstein
10. Jurriaan M. de Vos
11. Kay Lucek

Reviewed by PREreview