Evolutionary Units Research Articles

Phylogeography, systematics, and conservation status of pocket mice (Chaetodipus) of the Sonoran–Sinaloan thorn forest

Abstract Three species of pocket mice (Chaetodipus artus, C. goldmani, and C. pernix) characterize the Sinaloan subregion of the Sonoran regional desert. They occur primarily in Sinaloan thornscrub and monsoon (dry deciduous) forest biotic communities, both of which have suffered from agricultural conversion. Sinaloan thornscrub occurs along the coastal plains of southern Sonora and Sinaloa, México, and grades into monsoon forest in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. We describe the geographical and ecological distributions of the 3 species of Chaetodipus, evaluate evolutionary relationships within each species based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and compare these to previously described phenetic, allozymic, and chromosomal variation. We elevate the subspecies of C. pernix to full species, delineate evolutionary units within C. goldmani and C. artus that we formally recognize as subspecies, and evaluate the conservation status of all 3 species of Chaetodipus.

Population structure, genetic diversity and evolutionary history of the narrow endemic squirrel Sciurus meridionalis

Endemic species and their genetic diversity are critical components of global biodiversity, yet they usually face a higher risk of decline and extinction than species with broader distributions. Loss of genetic diversity within geographically restricted and fragmented ranges plays a significant role in driving endemic species to extinction, threatening their ability to adapt to environmental challenges. Hence, considering genetic diversity and its spatial distribution within populations is mandatory in planning conservation actions for narrow endemic species. Here, we investigated the population genetic diversity, structure and evolutionary history of the Calabrian black squirrel Sciurus meridionalis, a species endemic to the Calabrian region in the south of the Italian peninsula. A fine-scale sampling procedure was carried out throughout the whole species range, and genetic variation was assessed from multiple mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Phylogeographic and population structure analyses showed three evolutionary significant units within the current species range, each characterised by extremely low levels of genetic diversity. Bayesian phylogeographic analyses suggested that Calabrian black squirrel populations experienced a range fragmentation during the Last Glacial Maximum (∼20 ka), which geographically mirrors the three main mountain massifs within the species range. Historical demographic reconstructions revealed a recent and still ongoing demographic expansion for Calabrian black squirrel populations, likely promoted by a concurrent expansion of the Calabrian black pine in this area. Overall, our findings clarify the designation of the evolutionary significant units for a narrow endemic squirrel and underscore the importance of analysing range-wide population genetic data and considering species interactions when defining management strategies for narrow endemic species’ conservation.

Subspecies inflation hampers conservation efforts: a case study on wall lizards

Abstract The common practice of using subspecies as conservation targets raises the question of whether efforts are focused on preserving conspicuous components of the species’ phenotypic variability rather than evolutionarily significant units. To address this question, in this study we performed a comprehensive morphological and genetic assessment on all the subspecies of wall lizard described for the Aeolian Archipelago (Italy) to determine whether they represent distinct evolutionary lineages and/or discrete phenotypic partitions. Further, we applied a monophyly test to 70 subspecies belonging to seven wall lizard species occurring in Italy, based on our results and on previous phylogeographic studies. We found that none of the Aeolian subspecies represents a distinct evolutionary lineage, despite some morphological differentiation of island populations across the archipelago, suggesting a very recent origin of island populations and of the observed phenotype variation. Across seven wall lizard species, tests revealed that lizard subspecies rarely (< 9% of cases) match evolutionary units. This study demonstrates that intraspecific taxonomy of wall lizards is a poor predictor of phylogeographic partitions and evolutionary units, and therefore of limited use (if not dangerous) for defining conservation and management units. A better approach would be relying on the integration of genomic and phenotypic data to assess the evolutionary significance and conservation value of phenotypic and genetic units within species.

Cryptic divergences and repeated hybridizations within the endangered “living fossil” dove tree (Davidia involucrata) revealed by whole genome resequencing

The identification and understanding of cryptic intraspecific evolutionary units (lineages) are crucial for planning effective conservation strategies aimed at preserving genetic diversity in endangered species. However, the factors driving the evolution and maintenance of these intraspecific lineages in most endangered species remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted resequencing of 77 individuals from 22 natural populations of Davidia involucrata, a “living fossil” dove tree endemic to central and southwest China. Our analysis revealed the presence of three distinct local lineages within this endangered species, which emerged approximately 3.09 and 0.32 million years ago. These divergence events align well with the geographic and climatic oscillations that occurred across the distributional range. Additionally, we observed frequent hybridization events between the three lineages, resulting in the formation of hybrid populations in their adjacent as well as disjunct regions. These hybridizations likely arose from climate-driven population expansion and/or long-distance gene flow. Furthermore, we identified numerous environment-correlated gene variants across the total and many other genes that exhibited signals of positive evolution during the maintenance of two major local lineages. Our findings shed light on the highly dynamic evolution underlying the remarkably similar phenotype of this endangered species. Importantly, these results not only provide guidance for the development of conservation plans but also enhance our understanding of evolutionary past for this and other endangered species with similar histories.

Revisiting the conservation genetics of Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus)

The Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus) is a unique species of neotropical cervid, that inhabits a wide range of open habitats including grasslands, pampas, savannas, and cerrado (Brazil) from -5° to -41° S. The reduction of the area encompassed by these habitats has been dramatically reduced to less than 2 % by human activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and poaching. Three decades ago, we initiated a molecular genetic study of the Pampas deer based on representative samples from throughout their geographic range. Our aim is to reevaluate the effect that habitat fragmentation has had on gene flow among eight wildlife Pampas deer populations and one from the captive breeding centre Estación de Cría de Fauna Autóctona (ECFA). We examined DNA sequences from three mitochondrial markers: the control region (D-loop), Cytochrome b (Cytb), and Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI). Furthermore, we compared the resolution of the different mitochondrial markers to elucidate the phylogenetic and phylogeographic patterns of the species to define Evolutionary Significant Units (ESU`s). The amount of gene flow was correlated with geographic distance among groups and populations and was consistent with limited dispersal being the primary determinant of genetic differentiation between populations. Our results showed that the D-loop was the most appropriate marker for defining Evolutionary Significant Units. We found that the critically endangered Paraná population showed significant genetic distance from the others and revealed unique haplotypes with all the mitochondrial markers. The molecular genetic results provide a mandate for habitat restoration and design a management plan to conserve these relictual populations.

Taxonomy of West-Palaearctic Lampromeloe (Coleoptera: Meloidae) with the description of a new species

Widely distributed phoretic blister beetles usually display unstructured geographic patterns of genetic diversity within species, resulting from recurrent long-dispersal events across their range. To investigate the extent of this pattern in the phoretic genus Lampromeloe, and particularly in western Mediterranean and European populations of L. variegatus, we performed: (1) a phylogeographic analysis based on fragments of the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S, and (2) a morphological revision based on qualitative and morphometric traits. Two allopatric lineages were recovered within L. variegatus, one distributed across Europe and the other in North Africa. These lineages are readily distinguishable based on morphological traits. We conclude that these lineages constitute two diagnosable evolutionary units and, consequently, we describe the North African populations as a new species, Lampromeloe pantherinus sp. nov. The new species is closely related to L. variegatus, from which it differs mainly by the elytral macrosculpture and by the shape of male genitalia. The elytral macrosculpture of L. pantherinus is somewhat similar to that of L. cavensis, a species widely distributed in the lowlands of the Mediterranean Basin. However, these two non-sister species can be distinguished by the morphology and macrosculpture of the pronotum and by the shape of the male genitalia.

Population structure and connectivity among coastal and freshwater Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) populations from Patagonia.

The genetic identification of evolutionary significant units and information on their connectivity can be used to design effective management and conservation plans for species of concern. Despite having high dispersal capacity, several seabird species show population structure due to both abiotic and biotic barriers to gene flow. The Kelp Gull is the most abundant species of gull in the southern hemisphere. In Argentina it reproduces in both marine and freshwater environments, with more than 100,000 breeding pairs following a metapopulation dynamic across 140 colonies in the Atlantic coast of Patagonia. However, little is known about the demography and connectivity of inland populations. We aim to provide information on the connectivity of the largest freshwater colonies (those from Nahuel Huapi Lake) with the closest Pacific and Atlantic populations to evaluate if these freshwater colonies are receiving immigrants from the larger coastal populations. We sampled three geographic regions (Nahuel Huapi Lake and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts) and employed a reduced-representation genomic approach to genotype individuals for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Using clustering and phylogenetic analyses we found three genetic groups, each corresponding to one of our sampled regions. Individuals from marine environments are more closely related to each other than to those from Nahuel Huapi Lake, indicating that the latter population constitutes the first freshwater Kelp Gull colony to be identified as an evolutionary significant unit in Patagonia.

How many lineages are there of the stingrays genus Hypanus (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) and why does it matter?

Abstract Stingrays genus Hypanus currently encompasses nine valid species from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, though the phylogenetic relationships amongst some of them were based on a single mitochondrial gene and did not involve all putative Hypanus species. To address the monophyly of the genus and its relationship to other Dasyatinae genera, we sequenced the whole mitochondrial genomes of all species that supposedly belong to this genus and representatives of Dasyatinae, Neotrygoninae, and, as an outgroup, Fontitrygon (Urogymninae). Based on phylogenetic analyses, Hypanus is the sister-genus to all other Dasyatinae, and this subfamily is closely-related to Neotrygoninae within the family Dasyatidae. The species F. geijskesi is closely related to H. guttatus rather than to its congeners and should be allocated to Hypanus as H. geijskesi for the genus monophyly. After lineage delimitation analyses, we identified three species complexes composed of H. americanus, H. guttatus, and H. say, with two distinct evolutionary lineages within each, leaving the genus with 13 evolutionary units, of which six are currently under threat and only H. sabinus is of least concern. The urgency in identifying these new lineages lies in the fact they might already be under threat before being formally described.

Structure, diversity, and genetic delimitation of two Magnolia species endemic to eastern Mexico

Abstract In Mexico, Magnolia species of the section Macrophylla have been segregated based on phenotypic characteristics. However, the wide environmental variation throughout their distribution area in the eastern region of the country could be the main cause of the high degree of morphological variation among the taxa of this section. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out studies at the genetic level to confirm the taxonomic identity of these species. In the present study, the diversity and genetic structure of the populations of Magnolia rzedowskiana and M. zotictla were estimated using simple sequence repeat markers. We evaluated whether the taxonomic delimitation as independent species is consistent with their degree of genetic differentiation, comparing three regions of chloroplast DNA: trnH-psbA, ORF350, and rpl32-trnL. The DNA was obtained from four populations of the two species, which are distributed in the states of Hidalgo, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí. The populations presented intermediate–high genetic diversity (He = 0.52–0.60), limited gene flow (Nm = 0.62) and high genetic differentiation (Fst = 0.288), which may be related to their low density and strong geographic isolation, caused by the high degree of fragmentation of their habitat. The phylogenetic analysis and the genetic differentiation values indicate that each of the populations of the two Magnolia species analyzed behaves as an independent evolutionary unit, so the taxonomic delimitation of the three M. rzedowskiana populations must be reconsidered. The results obtained could be very useful for implementing management and conservation strategies for these populations in the short term.

Genetic distinctiveness of an endangered falcon: Implications for conservation in Europe.

In the Falconidae, the genus Falco comprises species of large birds of prey with wide distribution worldwide. However, the European lanner falcon Falco biarmicus feldeggii is rapidly heading for global extinction following a dramatic decline caused by anthropogenic interference. Conservation projects are currently underway with the main purpose of increasing its population size in the Mediterranean basin through captive breeding and release of birds into the wild. To support the projects, and strengthen the legitimacy of conservation efforts consistently with the Evolutionary Significant Unit concept, we explored the possibility of characterising the gene pool of the European lanner and reliably distinguishing it from other falcon taxa inhabiting the Mediterranean area, which show morphological and genetic similarities. To address the issue, we examined genetic variability at the nuclear level through the analysis of 12 neutral Short Tandem Repeat loci, and, for the first time in these taxa, two single-copy functional genes, coding for the brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor and the oocyte maturation factor, respectively. The second exon of the major histocompatibility complex class II B gene was also investigated. Additionally, to frame our data with previously published data, we assess variation at the mitochondrial level by sequencing portions of the cytochrome b, 12S rRNA gene, and the control region. Our results showed that the European lanner is highly distinct from other falcon taxa, as revealed by nuclear, but not by mitochondrial DNA. We discuss our findings focusing on their implications for the preservation of this highly endangered European bird, and highlighted the critical role of genetic information in planning and monitoring concrete interventions.

Species Delimitation in a Polyploid Group of Iberian Jasione (Campanulaceae) Unveils Coherence between Cryptic Speciation and Biogeographical Regionalization.

Groups with morphological stasis are an interesting framework to address putative cryptic species that may be hidden behind traditional taxonomic treatments, particularly when distribution ranges suggest disjunct and environmentally heterogeneous biogeographic patterns. New hypotheses of delimitation of evolutionary independent units can lead to the identification of different biogeographic processes, laying the foundation to investigate their historical and ecological significance. Jasione is a plant genus with a distribution centered in the Mediterranean basin, characterized by significant morphological stasis. Within the western Mediterranean J. gr. crispa species complex, J. sessiliflora s.l. and allied taxa form a distinct group, occupying environmentally diverse regions. At least two ploidy levels, diploid and tetraploid, are known to occur in the group. The internal variability is assessed with phylogenetic tools, viz. GMYC and ASAP, for species delimitation. The results are compared with other lines of evidence, including morphology and cytology. The fitting of distribution patterns of the inferred entities to chorological subprovinces is also used as a biogeographical and environmental framework to test the species hypothesis. Despite the scarcity of diagnostic morphological characters in the group, phylogenetic delimitation supports the description of at least one cryptic species, a narrow endemic in the NE Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, the results support the segregation of a thermophilic group of populations in eastern Iberia from J. sessiliflora. Ploidy variation from a wide geographical survey supports the systematic rearrangement suggested by species delimitation. Taxonomic reorganization in J. sessiliflora s.l. would allow ecological interpretations of distribution patterns in great accordance with biogeographical regionalization at the subprovince level, supporting geobotanical boundaries as a framework to interpret species ecological coherence of cryptic lineages. These results suggest that species differentiation, together with geographic isolation and polyploidization, is associated with adaptation to different environments, shifting from more to less thermophilic conditions. Thus, the recognition of concealed evolutionary entities is essential to correctly interpret biogeographical patterns in regions with a complex geologic and evolutionary history, such as the Mediterranean basin, and biogeographical units emerge as biologically sound frameworks to test the species hypothesis.

A new extinct desert rodent from the Holocene of South America and its bearing on the diversity of Octodontidae (Hystricognathi)

Abstract A Late Holocene (ca. 3,100 to 380 BP) sample of the viscacha rat genus Octomys (Octodontidae) from the Vaquerías Gruta 1 site (VQ-G1) in western Argentina is reported. Phylogenetic and morphometric comparative analyses with living octodontids support that the VQ-G1 sample is related to the desert specialists Tympanoctomys and Octomys, and is sister to the only living species of the latter, O. mimax. The estimated morphological distance to O. mimax is greater than that between pairs of congeneric octodontid species, and even greater than that between some species belonging to different genera. This suggests that the sample represents a new species, whose young age prevents interpreting it as an anagenetic ancestor of O. mimax. If the new species is the result of cladogenesis, its absence in the current fauna represents actual extinction, which among caviomorphs is added to those of †Clyomys riograndensis, †Dicolpomys fossor, †Ctenomys viarapaensis, and †Galea tixiensis—also extinct in the Late Holocene. Thus, the VQ-G1 sample provides evidence of changes in diversity and distribution undergone by small mammals in southern South America during that time. The potential contribution of the Holocene record may be key to elucidate this issue from both an evolutionary and a conservation perspective. This requires a detailed systematic approach to determine whether the taxa under study are truly independent evolutionary units, as well as geographically broad sampling efforts to distinguish the changes affecting distribution from those producing irreversible changes in diversity.

Discovering the diversity of tadpoles in the mid-north Brazil: morphological and molecular identification, and characterization of the habitat.

Brazil stands out for presenting the highest amphibian anuran diversity in the world. However, taxonomic studies that address characteristic of larval stage of anurans are incipient, representing only 62% of known species. We assess the species diversity of tadpoles from eastern Maranhão state, mid-northern region of Brazil based on morphological and molecular identification (i.e., 16S rRNA gene fragment), and we also provide characteristics of the habitats occupied by each species. We carried out 30 field samplings during 13 months in 16 environments along an ecotonal area, over five cities inside the limits of state of Maranhão, between the Maranhão Babaçu Forest and Cerrado ecoregions. We searched for tadpoles in a variety of water bodies, and the tadpoles that reached the developmental stage between 34 to 40 Gosner were morphologically identified. The tadpoles collected herein represent 26 species belonging to five families. The external morphology enabled the identification of 24 species, while the molecular data recognized 22 unique evolutionary units. The most represented family was Hylidae (Hylinae 11 spp., Phyllomedusinae one spp.) followed by Leptodactylidae (Leptodactylinae seven spp., Leiuperinae three spp.), Microhylidae (Gastrophryninae two spp.), and Bufonidae (two spp.). Our results show that oral morphology was the most important character for identifying tadpoles based on morphology, and the specific 16S rRNA primer was suitable for molecular identification. This study pioneers the use of both morphological and molecular data to identify tadpoles in the state of Maranhão. It also provides, for the first-time, habitat characteristic for the species. Our study reveals a high number of anuran species sampled at the larval stage in the region, identifies species that require further taxonomic and systematic attention, and extends the geographic distribution of six species, three of which represent new occurrences for the state. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that the diversity of amphibians from Maranhão is underestimated and highlight the importance of herpetological inventories in poorly sampled areas, decentralizing the knowledge of biodiversity.

The Species as a Reproductive Community Emerging From the Past

Biologists and philosophers of science have been unable to fully resolve the decades-long controversy as to what kind of unit of living biodiversity should receive the valued label “species”: reproductive communities (among sexual organisms), genealogical groups, or clusters of organisms that share traits. Among these choices, which represent a spectrum from process to history to observable outcome (respectively), the latter (more operationalist) concepts are not viable. Species of sexual organisms must embody or imply cohesive and integrating processes such as interbreeding and shared ecological pressures if they are to have sufficient power to bear the burden we give them: to predict or explain traits across the genome and among organisms. This commitment to cohesive process is needed whether biologists use species as taxonomic containers to synthesize data, as minimal phylogenetic units, or as actors in evolutionary diversification. These varied uses can be satisfied via a concept of reproductive community, but not the strict Biological Species Concept (BSC). Its two drawbacks are a focus on the contemporary and a restriction to intrinsic factors. Current reproductive compatibility may predict future matings, but it does not explain well the traits and genes that living organisms already have. The organisms alive today were shaped by isolating factors of the past, not those of the present, to whatever extent those differ. The most broadly-useful species concept must therefore see species retrospectively, as reproductive communities of the past. As well, the BSC’s exclusion of extrinsic factors renders each of its units incomplete in explanation and synthesis. Reproductive communities in nature were isolated not just by intrinsic (genetic) differences, but also by purely extrinsic (e.g., geographic) factors. Such reproductive communities were and are real, natural entities whose integrated and self-reinforcing cohesive processes constrained genealogical descent and aligned the distribution of many traits. This Retrospective Reproductive Community Concept (RRCC), formalized mathematically in multispecies coalescent models, justifies the traditional practice of taxonomists using morphological data to seek the echoes of past reproductive cohesion. However, which reproductive communities naturally deserve to be ranked as species, and which as demes or populations, is a vexing question. There is no natural, discrete and broadly informative species rank that applies universally, or perhaps even usually. To whatever extent species rank is justified, it is as justified for asexual organisms as for sexuals. The presence or absence of sex is just one example of the variability biologists confront. Because cohesive processes vary among clades, a useful and broadly-applicable species concept cannot specify detailed cohesive mechanisms. Nor can it perfectly align the named species of taxonomy with units of evolution, because the latter are not structured to match taxonomy’s partition of boxes. Taxonomic species should approximate, but can only approximate, evolutionary units. Settling on retrospection, letting go of a natural meaning for species rank, and accepting taxonomy as approximation allow biology to turn to the far more daunting task: listening to the natural world to understand the many interacting processes that built distinction and identity, that shaped the reproductive communities emerging out of the past into the present day.

Evolutionary significant units (ESUs) and functional conservation units (FCUs) in the Phengaris (Maculinea) nausithous populations of East-Central Europe

The aim of this study was to analyse the level and structure of genetic and morphometric variation in the East-Central European populations of Phengaris (Maculinea) nausithous. On the basis of the life cycle of the species, we expected a low level of variation within the populations coupled with a relatively high level of differentiation among them. We also assumed that the differentiation among the populations has a regional pattern. In order to confirm these assumptions, we collected population samples from two regions within the Carpathian Basin (western Transdanubia and Transylvania) and from a region east of the Carpathian Mountains (Bukovina). The level of enzyme polymorphism and the amount of morphometric variation were investigated in the sampled populations. As the western (Transdanubia) and the eastern populations (Transylvania plus Bukovina) were suggested to belong to different subspecies (Rákosy et al. in Nota Lepidopterol 33:31–37, 2010), our working hypothesis was that these two groups of populations belong to different evolutionary significant units (ESUs). The results of all genetic analyses (PCA, Bayesian-clustering analysis and especially the UPGMA dendrogram) confirmed our assumption. The level of differentiation was higher between the western and eastern populations resulting in two monophyletic lineages of Phengaris (Maculinea) nausithous in East-Central Europe. This result suggests that these lineages can be considered as two different ESUs.

Conservation Priorities and Demographic History of Saussurea involucrata in the Tianshan Mountains and Altai Mountains.

Rare and vulnerable endemic plants represent different evolutionary units that occur at different times, and protecting these species is a key issue in biological protection. Understanding the impact of the history of endangered plant populations on their genetic diversity helps to reveal evolutionary history and is crucial for guiding conservation efforts. Saussurea involucrata, a perennial alpine species mainly distributed in the Tianshan Mountains, is famous for its medicinal value but has become endangered due to over-exploitation. In the present study, we employed both nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences to investigate the genetic distribution pattern and evolutionary history of S. involucrata. A total of 270 individuals covering nine S. involucrata populations were sampled for the amplification and sequencing of nrDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and chloroplast trnL-trnF, matK and ndhF-rpl32 sequences. Via calculation, we identified 7 nuclear and 12 plastid haplotypes. Among the nine populations, GL and BA were characterized by high haplotype diversity, whereas BG revealed the lowest haplotype diversity. Molecular dating estimations suggest that divergence among S. involucrata populations occurred around 0.75 Ma, coinciding with the uplift of Tianshan Mountains. Our results reveal that both isolation-by-distance (IBD) and isolation-by-resistance (IBR) have promoted genetic differentiation among populations of S. involucrata. The results from the ecological niche modeling analyses show a more suitable habitat for S. involucrata in the past than at present, indicating a historical distribution contraction of the species. This study provides new insight into understanding the genetic differentiation of S. involucrata, as well as the theoretical basis for conserving this species.

Is it time for genetic reinforcement of French Iberian ibex populations?

An evolutionary significant unit of the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica), the Pyrenean ibex or “bucardo” (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) became extinct in its natural range, the Pyrenees, at the beginning of the twentieth-first century. Several years later (2014–2021) more than 250 specimens (C. p. victoriae) coming from the same donor population from central Spain were released in four localities of the French Pyrenees. Despite an initial fast demographic increase, the genetic variability of these populations remains low. Moreover, it is expected that genetic variability continues to decline due to genetic drift and that inbreeding accumulates. Here we revise options for genetic rescue or reinforcement of these populations involving future release of animals from different extant Spanish populations, mainly those belonging to the subpecies C. p. hispanica. The future hybridization between both phenotypes or “subspecies” may occur anyways in the next years, since currently there is a natural expansion of C. P. hispanica populations from the southern Pyrenees (Spanish side).

Innovation for sustainability: how actors are myopically caught in processes of co-evolution

In this paper, we argue that the development, uptake and adoption of innovations resembles an evolutionary process of variation, selection and retention (within broader processes of co-evolution) in which actors are myopically caught. We do so in four steps. First, we review in what ways socio-technical evolution resembles biological evolution. Second, we argue that in socio-technical evolution so-called ‘configurations that work’ can be viewed as evolutionary units, which are subject to selection pressures, variation and human-made couplings between variation and selection. This explains why innovation is often cumulative, based on variation and recombination. Third, we discuss how producers, consumers, governments and scientists are myopically caught in processes of co-evolution. While humans are capable of imagining the need for system change and details of desired systems, they are less capable of accepting the concomitant higher costs and inconveniences and adopt new interpretive schemes. Fourth, in a pluralist world, steering is done by all kind of actors, including those who actively resist transformative change. Because of this, steering by government and coalitions of change can achieve little more than a modulation of ongoing dynamics, despite disturbing evidence of a run-away climate, mass extinction, pervasive ecological degradation and steady depletion of resources. A new consciousness of the Anthropocene can evoke fundamental changes in science and the economy if—and only if—they are sufficiently carried by institutional changes and new practices. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis’.

Revisiting the geomorphological‐biological divide: An introspective biogeomorphological perspective

AbstractWe suggest that biogeomorphology should challenge the traditional dichotomy between living and non‐living components of Earth surface systems. To achieve this, biogeomorphologists should gain a better understanding of eco‐evolutionary models and empirical findings developing at the interface between ecology and evolutionary biology. Eco‐evolutionary models explore feedback loops between genes, organisms and the physical or biological components outside the organism's body. This changes our understanding of how organisms interact with their environment and the functional and evolutionary significance of biologically induced landforms. In the niche construction framework, genes can be conceived as the foundational evolutionary units of selection and inheritance, and everything beyond of this unit can be considered as the ‘environment’ for gene expression, either packaged within or unpackaged outside the organism. Both the packaged biological and unpackaged environments can be influenced by genes and manufactured by organisms, respectively, in the form of phenotypes or niche constructions. We propose that biomineralized structures, such as bones, osteoderms, antlers and shells, which can be packaged at varying degrees within an organism, as well as external products of genes such as termite mounds, which are unpackaged at the periphery of the organism, form a gradient of variation in the relative dominance and functional integration of biotic and abiotic components in ecosystems. A more explicit consideration of the functional interrelationships between physical and biological components transcending their traditional boundaries should promote a re‐evaluation of the dichotomy between biological and geomorphological entities.

Relevance of molecular systematics in insect pest management

Relevance of molecular systematics in insect pest management