Leaf phenology, a critical determinant of plant fitness and ecosystem function, is undergoing rapid shifts due to global climate change, yet its complex genetic and environmental drivers remain incompletely understood. Understanding the genetic basis of phenological adaptation is crucial for forecasting forest responses to a changing climate. Here, we integrate multi‐year satellite‐derived phenology from 46 Fagus sylvatica (Eu...

Social insects form complex societies with division of labour between different female castes. In most species, a single queen heads the colony; in others, several queens share the task of reproduction. These different social organisations are often associated with distinct queen morphologies and life‐history strategies and occur in different environments. In the ant Temnothorax rugatulus , queens are dimorphic. Macrogynes and...

A co‐evolutionary arms race ensues when parasites exhibit exploitative behaviour, which prompts adaptations in their hosts, in turn triggering counter‐adaptations by the parasites. To unravel the genomic basis of this coevolution from the host's perspective, we collected ants of the host species Temnothorax longispinosus , parasitized by the social parasite Temnothorax americanus , from 10 populations in the northeastern Unite...

Social insects are models for studies of phenotypic plasticity. Ant queens and workers vary in fecundity and lifespan, which are enhanced and extended in queens. Yet, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this variation are not well understood. Ant queens live and reproduce for years, so that they need to protect their germline from transposable element (TE) activity, which may be redundant in short‐lived, often sterile workers...

Driven by globalization, urbanization and climate change, the distribution range of invasive vector species has expanded to previously colder ecoregions. To reduce health‐threatening impacts on humans, insect vectors are extensively studied. Population genomics can reveal the genomic basis of adaptation and help to identify emerging trends of vector expansion. By applying whole genome analyses and genotype‐environment associat...

Natural populations experience continuous and often transient changes of environmental conditions. These in turn may result in fluctuating selection pressures leading to variable demographic and evolutionary population responses. Rapid adaptation as short‐term response to a sudden environmental change has in several cases been attributed to polygenic traits, but the underlying genomic dynamics and architecture are poorly under...

The ecological success of social Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps) depends on the division of labour between the queen and workers. Each caste exhibits highly specialized morphology, behaviour, and life‐history traits, such as lifespan and fecundity. Despite strong defences against alien intruders, insect societies are vulnerable to social parasites, such as workerless inquilines or slave‐making ants. Here, we investigate whethe...

The recent advances in molecular methods and data processing have facilitated research on anisakid nematodes. While most research efforts were made regarding the genus Anisakis , since this genus is held responsible for the majority of reported clinical signs, there is still a demand for data on the genus Pseudoterranova . Several case studies of severe invasive anisakidosis affecting various organs caused by species of the P....

Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 is regarded as one of the 100 most invasive species in Europe. The native distribution range of this species is uncertain, but for many years, the Iberian Peninsula has been considered as the area of origin. However, recent studies indicate that A. vulgaris probably originated from France. We have investigated the genetic structure of 33 European populations (Poland, Norway, Germany, France,...

Tandem‐running is a recruitment behaviour in ants that has been described as a form of teaching, where spatial information possessed by a leader is conveyed to following nestmates. Within Temnothorax ants, tandem‐running is used within a variety of contexts, from foraging and nest relocation to—in the case of slavemaking species—slave raiding. Here, we elucidate the transcriptomic basis of scouting, tandem‐leading and tandem‐f...

The ecological success of social insects is based on division of labour, not only between queens and workers, but also among workers. Whether a worker tends the brood or forages is influenced by age, fertility and nutritional status, with brood carers being younger, more fecund and more corpulent. Here, we experimentally disentangle behavioural specialization from age and fertility in Temnothorax longispinosus ant workers and...

The gradual heterogeneity of climatic factors poses varying selection pressures across geographic distances that leave signatures of clinal variation in the genome. Separating signatures of clinal adaptation from signatures of other evolutionary forces, such as demographic processes, genetic drift and adaptation, to nonclinal conditions of the immediate local environment is a major challenge. Here, we examine climate adaptatio...

Many parasites manipulate their hosts’ phenotype. In particular, parasites with complex life cycles take control of their intermediate hosts’ behaviour and life history to increase transmission to their definitive host. The proximate mechanisms underlying these parasite‐induced alterations are poorly understood. The cestode Anomotaenia brevis affects the behaviour, life history and morphology of parasitized Temnothorax nylande...

Replicated ecological gradients are prime systems to study processes of molecular evolution underlying ecological divergence. Here, we investigated the repeated adaptation of the neotropical fish Poecilia mexicana to habitats containing toxic hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) and compared two population pairs of sulphide‐adapted and ancestral fish by sequencing population pools of >200 individuals (Pool‐Seq). We inferred the evolution...

Characterizing hybrid zones and their dynamics is a central goal in evolutionary biology, but this is particularly challenging for morphologically cryptic species. The lack of conspicuous divergence between parental types means intermediate hybrid forms often go undetected. We aimed to detect and characterize a suspected hybrid zone between a pair of morphologically cryptic lineages of the freshwater snail, Radix . We sampled...