The February Issue of Evolutionary Applications has been published online. This issue features an image of a lone grizzly bear in Alberta, Canada, which relates to a study by Shafer and colleagues linking the genotype, ecotype, and phenotype in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos). Toward this end, this issue also launches a new series of research highlights that will offer brief synopses of new work with direct relevance to readers of Evolutionary Applications from across other journals with the aim of exploring the breadth of potential applications of evolutionary theory from across fields and disciplines. The Editor-in-Chief Louis Bernatchez has highlighted the following articles as of particular interest:

 Genomic selection for recovery of original genetic background from hybrids of endangered and common breeds by Carmen Amador, Ben J. Hayes and Hans D. Daetwyler

Summary: The authors present two genomic selection strategies, employing genome-wide DNA markers, to recover the genomic content of the original endangered population from admixtures. They also compare the efficiency of both strategies using empirical 50K SNP array data from sheep breeds.

 Anthropogenic selection enhances cancer evolution in Tasmanian devil tumours by Beata Ujvari, Anne-Maree Pearse, Kate Swift, Pamela Hodson, Bobby Hua, Stephen Pyecroft, Robyn Taylor, Rodrigo Hamede, Menna Jones, Katherine Belov and Thomas Madsen

Summary: The Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) provides a unique opportunity to study cancer evolution in vivo. Since it was first observed in 1996, this transmissible cancer has caused local population declines by 90%. In this study the authors focus on the evolutionary response of DFTD to a disease suppression trial.  The results reveal that DFTD has the capacity to rapidly respond to novel human-induced selective regimes and that disease eradication may result in novel tumour adaptations.

 Linking genotype, ecotype, and phenotype in an intensively managed large carnivore by Aaron B. A. Shafer, Scott E. Nielsen, Joseph M. Northrup and Gordon B. Stenhouse

Summary: In this study, integrated GPS habitat use data and genetic profiling were used to determine the influence of habitat and genetics on fitness proxies (mass, length, and body condition) in a threatened population of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Alberta, Canada. The authors found that homozygosity had a positive effect on fitness these proxies, which may be indicative of outbreeding depression unintentionally caused by massive translocations of bears over large geographic distances.

We encourage you to submit papers applying concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance across a vast array of applied disciplines. We also welcome submissions of papers making use of modern genomics or other molecular methods to address important questions in an applied evolutionary framework. For more information please visit the aims and scopes page.

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The January Special issue of Evolutionary Applications edited by guest editors Juha Merilä and Andrew Hendry, reviews the available literature that studies the responses to climate change in a large variety of taxa, including terrestrial and aquatic phytoplankton, plants and invertebrates, as well as all classes of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles birds and mammals. Clearly this Special Issue is the most updated and exhaustive coverage on this crucial topic. The cover image features a collage highlighting some of the species that have been the subject of focus in this issue for their response to climate change. The Editor-in-Chief Louis Bernatchez has highlighted the following Special Issue articles as of particular interest:

 Climate change, adaptation, and phenotypic plasticity: the problem and the evidence
by Juha Merilä and Andrew P. Hendry

Summary: This perspective article examines the levels of inference employed in studies where recorded phenotypic changes in natural populations have been attributed to climate change. Based on the reviews from this Special Issue, Merilä and Hendry conclude that evidence for genetic adaptation to climate change has been found in some systems, but remains relatively scarce compared to evidence for phenotypic plasticity. It is apparent that additional studies employing better inferential methods are required before drawing further conclusions.

Rapid evolution of quantitative traits: theoretical perspectives by Michael Kopp and Sebastian Matuszewski

Summary: In this review and syntheses article the authors review the theoretical models of rapid evolution in quantitative traits, to shed light on the potential for adaptation to climate change. In particular, the authors demonstrate how survival can be greatly facilitated by phenotypic plasticity, and how heritable variation in plasticity can further speed up genetic evolution.

 Climate warming and Bergmann’s rule through time: is there any evidence? by Celine Teplitsky and Virginie Millien

Summary: In this article the authors investigate the hypothesis that the climate warming causes a reduction in body size. This hypothesis originates from Bergmann’s rule, whereby species in warmer climates exhibit a smaller body size when compared to endotherms found in colder climates. Reviewing the literature the authors find weak evidence for changes in body size through time as predicted by Bergmann’s rule.

We do hope you enjoy reading this month’s Special Issue, and encourage you to submit papers applying concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance across a vast array of applied disciplines. We also welcome submissions of papers making use of modern genomics or other molecular methods to address important questions in an applied evolutionary framework. For more information please visit the aims and scopes page.

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The December issue of Evolutionary Applications has been published online. The issue features an image of Whitefish (Coregonus macrophthalmus) on its cover pertaining to a study by Hirsch and colleagues on potential for future divergence in restored aquatic habitats.  The Editor-in-Chief: Louis Bernatchez has also highlighted the following articles as of particularly interest:

 Dynamics of growth factor production in monolayers of cancer cells and evolution of resistance to anticancer therapies
by Marco Archetti
Summary: In this article the authors use evolutionary game theory to study the dynamics of the production of growth factors by monolayers of cancer cells and to understand the effect of therapies that target growth factors.

 Herbicide-resistant weeds: from research and knowledge to future needs by Roberto Busi, Martin M. Vila-Aiub, Hugh J. Beckie, Todd A. Gaines, Danica E. Goggin, Shiv S. Kaundun, Myrtille Lacoste, Paul Neve, Scott J. Nissen, Jason K. Norsworthy, Michael Renton, Dale L. Shaner, Patrick J. Tranel, Terry Wright, Qin Yu and Stephen B. Powles

Summary: In this Perspective article the authors explore the areas and highlight future challenges of synthetic herbicide resistance research towards integrated and (evolutionary) sustainable weed management in major field crops.

 The effects of synthetic estrogen exposure on premating and postmating episodes of selection in sex-role-reversed Gulf pipefish by Emily Rose, Kimberly A. Paczolt and Adam G. Jones

Summary: In this study the authors aimed to understand the effects of a synthetic estrogen (EE2) exposure on the sex-role-reversed mating system in pipefish and the resulting strength of selection in Gulf pipefish.

As always, we are keen to encourage papers applying concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance across a vast array of applied disciplines, and also strongly encourage submissions of papers making use of modern genomics or other molecular methods to address important questions in an applied evolutionary framework. For more information please visit the aims and scopes page.

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The November online issue of Evolutionary Applications has been published. The cover image  features the restored intermountain grassland at the base of the Bear River Range of the Wasatch Mountains, Utah, USA. The editor in Editor-in-Chief Louis Bernatchez has highlighted the following articles, which use evolutionary biology to address questions of practical importance, as of particular interest:

Investigating the genetics of Bti resistance using mRNA tag sequencing: application on laboratory strains and natural populations of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti by Margot Paris, Sebastien Marcombe, Eric Coissac, Vincent Corbel, Jean-Philippe David and Laurence Després
Summary: This study investigates the genetics of Bti resistance in Aedes aegypti  using SNP polymorphism within cDNA tag sequences.  The authors showed SNPs  identified in  laboratory strains are transferable to natural populations, and that the same genomic regions are, to varying degrees, differentiated between laboratory strains. The findings suggest that most of the genes associated with resistance differ between laboratory and natural environments but common selected regions might also harbour key genes for Bti resistance.

Back to the future: evolving bacteriophages to increase their effectiveness against the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 by Alex Betts, Marie Vasse, Oliver Kaltz and Michael E. Hochberg
Summary: The authors used Pseudomonas aeruginosa to evolve four different phage isolates though 6 serial transfers to produce a “superphage”, and showed that bacteria evolve a degree of resistance and cross-resistance to a foreign phage. The use of evolutionary engineering to develop “superphages” could be effective way to combat bacterial infections in hospitals, whilst reducing the risk of bacterial resistance compared to conventional methods.

Assessing strategies to minimize unintended fitness consequences of aquaculture on wild populations by Marissa L. Baskett, Scott C. Burgess and Robin S. Waples
Summary: In this study, a model of coupled genetic and demographic dynamics has been used to evaluate alternative management approaches to minimizing unintended fitness consequences of aquaculture escapees. Results  highlight the importance of the timing of aquaculture escape, and that reducing aquaculture escapees through low-level leakage is more effective than reducing an analogous number of escapees from large, rare pulses.

As always, we are keen to encourage papers applying concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance across a vast array of applied disciplines, and also strongly encourage submissions of papers making use of modern genomics or other molecular methods to address important questions in an applied evolutionary framework. For more information please visit the aims and scopes page.

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Evolutionary Applications has published its latest online issue addressing topics relevant to evolutionary biology such as conservation biology, disease biology and agriculture.

The cover image for this issue features a leopard hiding in the foliage in Kanha Tiger Reserve, India.

The Editor-in-Chief Louis Bernatchez has highlighted the following articles as of particular interest:

Predicting bird song from space by Thomas Smith, Ryan Harrigan, Alexander Kirschel, Wolfgang Buermann, Sassan Saatchi, Daniel Blumstein, Selvino de Kort and Hans Slabbekoorn
Summary: This article investigates the use of remote-sensing data to predict the song characteristics of a widely distributed African passerine, the little greenbul (Andropadus virens). This work provides a link between large-scale remotely sensed environmental variables and observations of behavior that have applications to evolutionary and conservation biology.

Fight evolution with evolution: plasmid-dependent phages with a wide host range to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance by Ville Ojala, Jarkko Laitalainen and Matti Jalasvuori
Summary: This study investigates whether it is possible to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance using a lytic bacteriophage capable of replication in a wide range of gram negative bacteria harbouring conjugative drug resistance. The authors conclude that, while it is necessary to maintain the selection for spread of drug resistances, fighting bacterial evolution with counter-selective attempts could be beneficial in the battle against drug resistance.

The ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde fungus’: noble rot versus gray mold symptoms of Botrytis cinerea on grapes by Elisabeth Fournier, Pierre Gladieux and Tatiana Giraud
Summary: In this article the authors used genotyping and clustering analyses to sample isolates of the ascomycete Botrytis cinerea fungus, to determine whether isolates sampled from three French regions with noble rot versus gray mold symptoms belong to genetically different populations. This study indicates that noble rot symptoms are not specific to certain B.cinerea populations but instead seem to depend on microclimatic conditions.

We are keen to encourage papers applying concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance across a vast array of applied disciplines, and also strongly encourage submissions of papers making use of modern genomics or other molecular methods to address important questions in an applied evolutionary framework. For more information please visit the aims and scopes page.

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Evolutionary Applications has published a new issue exploring the ways in which evolutionary biology addresses biological questions of health, social and economic relevance.  The issue features an image of a young wood frog on its cover.  Editor-in-Chief: Louis Bernatchez has highlighted the articles below as particularly noteworthy:

 Molecular genetics and genomics generate new insights into invertebrate pest invasions by Heather Kirk, Silvia Dorn and Dominique Mazzi
Summary: This article reviews current applications of molecular genetics and genomics in the study of invertebrate pest invasions and outbreaks, and highlights shortcomings from the current body of research. It also discusses recent conceptual and methodological advances in the areas of molecular genetics/genomics and data analysis and highlights how these advances will enhance our understanding of these areas.

 Evolutionary dynamics of a rapidly receding southern range boundary in the threatened California Red-Legged Frog (Rana draytonii) by Jonathan Q. Richmond, Kelly R. Barr, Adam R. Backlin, Amy G. Vandergast and Robert N. Fisher
Summary: This study reviews the extensive decline in populations of the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) since the 1960s due to contemporary disturbance. The authors conclude that while the effects of recent disturbance have left little genetic imprint on these populations, they likely contribute to an extinction debt that will lead to continued range contraction unless management intervenes to stall or reverse the process.

 Genetic and life-history changes associated with fisheries-induced population collapse by Lilian Pukk, Anna Kuparinen, Leili Järv, Riho Gross and Anti Vasemägi
Summary: This article investigates the evolutinary consequences of intensive fishing simultaneously at phenotypic and molecular level in Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) population in the Baltic Sea over a 24-year period. This study demonstrates the value of combining genetic and phenotypic analyses in the context of long-term genetic monitoring and suggests that replacement or breakdown of locally adapted gene complexes may play important role in impeding the recovery of fish populations.

In 2013 we have expanded the scope of Evolutionary Applications. As before, we are keen to encourage papers applying concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance across a vast array of applied disciplines. We now also strongly encourage submissions of papers making use of modern molecular and genetic methods to address important questions in an applied evolutionary framework. For more information please visit the aims and scopes page.

Submit your article to Evolutionary Applications here >

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Evolutionary Applications has now published its latest issue. This issue includes a number of top papers highlighted by Editor-in-Chief, Louis Bernatchez:

 The impact of natural selection on health and disease: uses of the population genetics approach in humans by Estelle Vasseur and Lluis Quintana-Murci

 Genomic and environmental selection patterns in two distinct lettuce crop–wild hybrid crosses by Yorike Hartman, Brigitte Uwimana, Danny A. P. Hooftman, Michael E. Schranz, Clemens C. M. van de Wiel, Marinus J. M. Smulders, Richard G. F. Visser and Peter H. van Tienderen

 Evolutionary rescue in populations of Pseudomonas fluorescens across an antibiotic gradient by Johan Ramsayer, Oliver Kaltz and Michael E. Hochberg

The journal continues to receive a high number of submissions across all areas of evolutionary biology and we would encourage you to submit your paper to the journal. Evolutionary Applications publishes papers that utilize concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance. In order to better serve the community, we also now strongly encourage submissions of papers making use of modern molecular and genetic methods to address important questions in any of these disciplines and in an applied evolutionary framework. Two of the papers highlighted above are good examples of this sort of paper. Further information about the journal’s aims and scopes can be found on the website.

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Evolutionary Applications has now published issue 5.8. This is the final issue of 2012 – the year in which the journal became open access! We are excited to introduce a new section in Evolutionary Applications from this issue onwards. Highlights will feature recently published papers that use evolutionary biology to address questions of practical importance. In this issue we have summarized the abstracts of the papers and encourage you to read the full paper for more details. We welcome suggestions for papers to include in this section and we encourage you to use this section to keep up to date on the latest advances in applied evolutionary biology. Read the Highlights in applied evolutionary biology for the December issue.

Another interesting paper from this issue is On-farm dynamic management of genetic diversity: the impact of seed diffusions and seed saving practices on a population-variety of bread wheat by Thomas, M., Demeulenaere, E., Dawson, J. C., Khan, A. R., Galic, N., Jouanne-Pin, S., Remoue, C., Bonneuil, C. and Goldringer, I. The idea of a baguette, warm and steaming, fresh out of the oven is enough to make even the pickiest eater salivate.  Wheat, the main ingredient of that gastronomical delight, is one of the top three most produced grains in the world, and much research is being devoted to devising ways to ensure that the beloved crop can continue to be mass produced in the face of global climate change. 

One key element that is instrumental to the long-term sustainability of wheat (and the beloved baguette), is the amount of genetic diversity found in wheat worldwide.  Without any genetic diversity, every single population of wheat would be exactly identical, and this would make it very difficult to continue to breed or even genetically modify, strains of wheat to be better adapted to the environment.  In other words, if every plant is exactly the same, it would be impossible to select and breed only the individual plants that are better suited to, say, arid environments.

In this issue of Evolutionary Applications, Thomas et al. investigate patterns of genetic diversity in a variety of wheat in France named RDB (Rouge de Bordeau).  The authors write that populations of this variety of wheat have been maintained and circulated by small farms for several years in France, and that knowledge of the patterns of genetic variation across the country can help inform wheat conservation practices.  The authors find that across France, some populations of RDB have quite large amounts of genetic diversity, while others do not.  These results imply that the existence of these small farms, and of the type of farming practices in these locations are crucial for the country-wide maintenance of genetic diversity in wheat.  These results show us that the network of small local farms, and the local varieties of wheat that they grow are likely to be instrumental in ensuring that the wonders of the French baguette will be enjoyed by many more to come.

We hope you enjoy reading these articles, and the others within the issue. Evolutionary Applications is an excellent forum in which to publish papers which explore the contributions that evolutionary concepts or methods have made, so do consider submitting a paper. We are keen to encourage papers that utilize concepts from evolutionary biology to address biological questions of health, social and economic relevance in areas such as conservation biology, aquaculture, agriculture, medicine, forestry, fisheries, climate change, microbiology and toxicology.  All papers are freely available to read, download and share and are highly visible. For full details about all subject areas which we consider, please view the aims and scopes on our website.

Evolutionary Applications has now published two more issues (issues 5.6 and 5.7). We are delighted by the high quality of submissions to the journal since its transition to open access. Now all the articles are available for all to read, download and share! The editorial team have highlighted two top papers from these issues. We hope you enjoy reading these papers and consider submitting your paper to Evolutionary Applications. For information about the kinds of papers published by the journal please visit the journal’s aims and scopes.

Drugs that target pathogen public goods are robust against evolved drug resistance by John W. Pepper
Commentary: This paper exemplifies the type of work which is ideally suited to publication in Evolutionary Applications – creative, evolutionary, and applied.  The author uses mathematical models to examine whether pathogens would evolve resistance to drugs that targeted the metabolites that pathogens make, rather than the pathogens’ cells.  This type of research can open doors for developing new types of drugs and vaccines.

Genomic regions in crop–wild hybrids of lettuce are affected differently in different environments: implications for crop breeding by Yorike Hartman, Danny A. P. Hooftman, Brigitte Uwimana, Clemens C. M. van de Wiel, Marinus J. M. Smulders, Richard G. F. Visser and Peter H. van Tienderen
Commentary: One reason for the common fear of genetically modified organisms is that the genes that are inserted into the crop can spread into non-crop organisms via hybridization. If crop-wild hybrids have higher fitness than the crop itself, then the ‘gene’ could spread throughout the hybrid or wild population.  But, after you cross a crop with a wild relative, some areas of the crop-wild hybrid genome are associated with increases in hybrid fitness, some areas as associated with decreases in hybrid fitness.  Thus, if you introduce the ‘gene’ into an area that is associated with low fitness in crop-wild hybrids, then you would not expect the ‘gene’ to spread.  The authors of this paper look for areas of the genome in a lettuce-wild hybrid that are associated with high fitness, and with low fitness.  They describe these different genomic regions and discuss the possible fate of an introduced ‘gene’.

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