Our paper on genetic load in an invasive guppy population is now published in @genomeresearch.bsky.social It was a fantastic journey — from field sampling to analysis and finally publication. I hope readers will enjoy the story as much as we enjoyed working on it. genome.cshlp.org/content/36/7...

@sebchm.bsky.social et al. study bulb mites to show that sex ratio manipulation drives evolution of male harm to females and widespread haplotype frequency changes without clear evidence for enhanced purging or maintenance of genetic diversity. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag151 #societyjournal

Experimental Evolution Under Biased Sex Ratios: Phenotypic and Genomic Responses in the Bulb Mite, Rhizoglyphus robini

Abstract. Sexual selection may increase population fitness by favoring high-condition individuals and accelerating the purging of deleterious alleles. Howe

doi.org

Our traditional Evokayak retreat is sadly over. Some of us absorbed inspiring talks horizontally and survived kayak teamwork vertically. Great to see friends from Kraków and Łódź. Thanks for coming and see you in two years!

Jon's new study in @natecoevo.nature.com shows that genetic rescue can increase long-term fitness despite elevating putative genetic load. Interested? Check out our paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41... A short thread below 🧵 Coauthored by @jacek-radwan.bsky.social and @mkonczal.bsky.social

Genetic rescue increases long-term fitness despite elevating putative genetic load in a male-dimorphic mite - Nature Ecology & Evolution

An experiment with male-dimorphic mites shows long-lasting benefits of genetic rescue, regardless of type of male rescuer and despite introducing genetic load, in populations subjected to a thermal st...

nature.com

Our paper is out! We show that a 'missing-self' regulator (CFH) isn't as constrained as we thought, instead shows strong diversifying selection, likely driven by pathogen exploitation (e.g. Borrelia). Highlights how competing selective pressures shape innate immunity academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...

A key regulator of missing-self innate immunity is polymorphic and under diversifying selection

Abstract. Host-parasite co-evolution drives the diversification of host immune genes involved in the recognition of pathogen antigens and molecular pattern

academic.oup.com

New work by Neha Pandey and the group on sexual selection’s role in population resilience, dynamics & recovery is now out.

Rob Knell@robknell.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New paper out in #Ecology Letters: We manipulated the presence of "fighter" and "scrambler" males in soil mite populations and showed that aggressive male behaviour reduces population size and stability. 🧪#SexualSelection #PopulationEcology onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The second chapter of my PhD is now available as a preprint 🦚. A lot of it came together during long days in front of my blue screen, and weekends spent watching puffins in the UK. With an amazing team @robknell.bsky.social @jacek-radwan.bsky.social Jonathan Parrett and @ecologycoder.bsky.social

Rob Knell@robknell.bsky.social · 4mo ago

1) New manuscript preprint up: we model adaptation to changing environments under mating systems ranging from random mating via mutual choice monogamy through to female choice polygyny. 🧪https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.30.715329v1

Our latest paper with @evobiolab.bsky.social shows sex-specific recombination landscape in a species with holocentric chromosomes. Genetic map of the bulb mite, results consistent with meiotic drive hypothesis and much more. Congrats to Sebastian for tremendous work academic.oup.com/genetics/art...

Sex-specific recombination landscape in a species with holocentric chromosomes

Abstract. The rate and chromosomal positioning of meiotic recombination significantly affects the distribution of the genetic diversity in eukaryotic genom

academic.oup.com

Is male aggression good or bad for populations under heatwaves? Find out in our recently published article onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Fighting Through the Heat: How Male Aggression Influences Demography Under Recurrent Heatwaves

This study examines how male aggression influences population survival under recurrent heat stress using experimental evolution in Sancassania berlesei. We show that while sexually selected tr initia....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Tom Cameron @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social · 11mo ago

@neelamporwal.bsky.social has just published this work on interacting eco-evo feedbacks between heatwaves and sensual selection on population dynamics - first output from an exciting project with a team inc @jacek-radwan.bsky.social @robknell.bsky.social #ecology #evolution

Our latest preprint shows that in translocated invasive guppy population, genetic load is reshaped by purging and admixture. A bottleneck purged strongly deleterious mutations, but admixture reversed this effect while reducing the load of weakly deleterious mutations. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Interplay between purging and admixture shapes genetic load in an invasive guppy population

Demographic history can shape the genetic load of populations by influencing the efficacy of selection, levels of heterozygosity, and by incorporation of new variants via gene flow. Understanding thes...

biorxiv.org

Check out our latest work! We experimentally showed that #genetic #rescue works: in the bulb mites, boosting genome-wide variation improved survival for 20 generations in high temp. Elevated genetic load or sexually selected traits? Barely mattered. #Conservation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

@neelamporwal.bsky.social ‘s talk about estimating extinction risks under sexual selection using simulations, at PEC2025 won the first prize for the best student talk. So, should animals swipe right for survival?🐧

It's that time of year when we spend our days in the woods. The forests are silent, yet inhabited by rodents and ticks.

Not only fantastic #ESEB2025 talks, but also great posters. Józefina presented her work on Borelia, Neha on sexual selection and populations dynamics, Sebastian on bulb mite genomics, Mateusz on genetic load in guppies and Jacek on CFH gene in bank voles. Our diversity unleashed!

We are having fantastic time presenting and discussing our work at #ESEB2025 - Neelam Porwal answered a question "How sexual selection shapes small populations demography under recurrent heatwaves"

Gratulacje! @k-burda.bsky.social for defending her PhD titled “Determinants of genetic load in natural populations of guppies” She estimated per-generation mutation rate in guppies and explored how demographic events affect the buildup or removal of harmful variation in their natural populations.

We explore evolution’s thrilling battles, between and within sexes and, hosts vs. parasites. Our focus? Conservation genomics, experimental evolution, adaptation, and mutation dynamics, with special attention to sexual selection 🦌 in mites and host-pathogen coevolution in Borrelia and bank voles 🐀.