Chronological uncertainty complicates attempts to use radiocarbon dates as proxies for processes such as human population growth/decline, forest fires and marine ingression. Established approaches involve turning databases of radiocarbon‐date densities into single summary proxies that cannot fully account for chronological uncertainty. Here, I use simulated data to explore an alternative Bayesian approach that instead models t...

Vision represents an excellent model for studying adaptation, given the genotype‐to‐phenotype map that has been characterized in a number of taxa. Fish possess a diverse range of visual sensitivities and adaptations to underwater light, making them an excellent group to study visual system evolution. In particular, some speciose but understudied lineages can provide a unique opportunity to better understand aspects of visual s...

Critical behaviours such as predation and mate choice often depend on vision. Visual systems are sensitive to the spectrum of light in their environment, which can vary extensively both within and among habitats. Evolutionary changes in spectral sensitivity contribute to divergence and speciation. Spectral sensitivity of the retina is primarily determined by visual pigments, which are opsin proteins bound to a chromophore. We...

Land cover changes ( LCCs ) play an important role in the climate system. Research over recent decades highlights the impacts of these changes on atmospheric temperature, humidity, cloud cover, circulation, and precipitation. These impacts range from the local‐ and regional‐scale to sub‐continental and global‐scale. It has been found that the impacts of regional‐scale LCC in one area may also be manifested in other parts of th...

Lake Victoria cichlids are one of the most speciose groups of vertebrates. Selection on coloration is likely playing an important role in their rapid speciation. To test the hypothesis that sensory biases could explain species differences in mating preferences and nuptial coloration, we studied seven populations of four closely related species of the genus Pundamilia that differ in visual environment and male nuptial colour. M...

The North American mid‐continent population of lesser snow geese ( Anser caerulescens caerulescens ) breeds in coastal areas of the Hudson Bay region. Breeding success is highly variable, particularly during recent decades. The availability of long‐term data sets of weather and the breeding success of geese allowed us to determine whether climatic variables in spring and early summer (May–June) are reliable predictors of diffe...