Understanding how reproductive isolation evolves remains a central goal of speciation research. The increasing availability of genomic data has transformed the field, resulting in research dominated by genomic approaches, but is this a good thing? Here, this question is evaluated 👇🧪

The identity crisis of speciation genomics

Abstract. Understanding how reproductive isolation (RI) evolves remains a central goal of speciation research. Quantifying RI is challenging, and researche

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New Blog! 🚨 As one of Africa's most distinctive primates, over 20 species of bushbaby are recognised in science. But how, and why, did so many evolve? Here, guest blogger Katie Porter answers that question by breaking down a recent study in our Biological journal! Read it below 🧪👇

How Did Bushbabies Become Different Species?

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Renowned Evolutionary biologists Peter & Rosemary Grant are back with new research on adaptive radiation in Geospiza finches on Daphne Major, looking at the long term impacts of hybridization on 3 species of ground finch! You can read the full paper below 👇 🧪 (1/2) doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Fission, fusion and the generation of novelty in Geospiza species on Daphne Major Island, Galápagos

Abstract. Early stages in the adaptive radiation of Darwin’s finches are characterized by divergence (fission) and convergence (fusion) caused by natural s

doi.org

Angry birds?? Island geographic isolation is a known phenomenon, but sometimes isolated species may have secondary contact down the line. This happened to 2 species of honeyeater on the Soloman Islands, resulting in aggression between sympatric individuals! Read it below 🧪👇 doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Batty for island biodiversity? Caribbean islands are biodiversity hotspots, but with great diversity comes great extinction as only a few species survived. Here, the impact of body size & island features on the survival of 479 bat populations were studied...a short 🧵 (1/2)

Methods and Tools! 📣 Quantitative traits can provide insights into phenotype evolution across species, yet standard methods often assume a single species tree. Introducing Spinney: a model & software that explicitly includes gene tree heterogeneity into rate estimation! 🌍🧪

Estimating the rate of quantitative trait evolution in the presence of gene tree discordance by calculating likelihoods across trees

Abstract. Quantitative traits provide insights into how phenotypes evolve across species. However, standard comparative methods often assume a single speci

doi.org

Tiny Chameleons! By looking at gene family evolution in two South African dwarf chameleons with contrasting forested vs open-canopy habitats, researchers revealed habitat-specific lineages differ in the functional categories genes display across families! doi.org/10.1093/evol... 🌍🧪👇

Really excited to share that Chris Martinez & my paper on ecological, functional, & evolutionary diversity produced by novel jaw joints in fishes is out at@evojlinnsoc.bsky.social! We show how modulation of these new joints can produce a wide range of functional opportunities doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Call for Writers! 📣 Are you a student or early career researcher? Science communicator? Know someone who is? We're looking for our next round of Guest Bloggers for our journal blog The Paper Trail! Check out our vacancies page to apply, and read some of our latest posts here: buff.ly/7JVQmSx 🧪 🌍

Happy #VolunteersWeek! Rosie Ryland, graduate ecologist at Arbtech, is our spotlight today, having written a blog for The Paper Trail about anole adaptations in the Andes and featuring in our membership magazine The Linnean! You can read her blog below 👇 🧪 🌍 www.linnean.org/news/2025/06...

Our (Jenny Dunn, Carolina Chagas, @willjsmith.bsky.social) paper on the evolution of island Wrens is finally out @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social! We describe the evolution of island gigantism in the St Kilda and Shetland subspecies. academic.oup.com/evolinnean/a...

Have a methods paper you want to submit? We've just expanded our scope to include submissions advancing methods in evolutionary biology! Publish with us to help shape the future 👇🌎🧪

Oxford Academic@academic.oup.com · 2mo ago

New article type launched: Methods & Tools. The @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social invites submissions advancing methodological innovation in evolutionary biology. Share your tools shaping tomorrow’s research. Explore the new article type: oxford.ly/3PJiYOc

Are you a sucker for catfish? You're in luck! Here, the evolutionary innovation of fused molariform pharyngeal jaws in suckermouth catfish is explored, helping to uncover whether these fancy mouths opened up new feeding opportunities in loricariid catfishes! 🧪 🌍 👇 doi.org/10.1093/evol...

New story on the Avian Hybrids blog! A tangled trio: Rapid divergence and gene flow in the Buzzing Flowerpecker avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2026/05/13/a... Based on the @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social paper by @devonderaad.bsky.social et al. | #ornithology

A tangled trio: Rapid divergence and gene flow in the Buzzing Flowerpecker

Are we dealing with a true trifurcation?

avianhybrids.wordpress.com

Why not publish your research with a Society Journal? 🧪🌍 The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)

Harsh conditions & challenges imposed by fragmented habitat often restrict gene flow & increase genetic structure in alpine plants. Here, the first population genetic study of the Notothlaspi plant ground in NZ revealed historical periods of contact & isolation amongst species! 🌍🧪 buff.ly/juytPxs

Biased sampling of Lauraceae, a family with over 3000 species, means its diversification history remains poorly understood despite its prevalence in the tropics. Here, plastome sequencing of 16 genera significantly improves our understanding, revealing divergent spatial patterns! 🌍🧪

Differential plastome diversification of the Lauraceae between tropical regions of Asia and America

ABSTRACT. The Lauraceae, a diverse family with over 50 genera and 3000 species, exhibit exceptional species richness in tropical regions of Asia and Americ

doi.org

Seed size is known to evolve predictably on islands, but the role of biotic & abiotic factors during early colonisation remains a mystery. Here, functional analyses of dispersal types has grown our understanding, highlighting the role of geographic, climatic & ecological factors! 🧪🌍 buff.ly/OcZd8zY

Integrating functional and trait-based models to explain seed size variation on islands in the New Zealand region

Abstract. Seed size is known to evolve predictably on islands, yet the biotic and abiotic factors that filter seed size during the earliest stages of colon

doi.org

Arctic charr you aware of the role of reproductive barriers in asymmetric reproductive isolation (RI)? Probably not, as a lot remains to be understood about the processes of RI during species divergence! Here, using (you guessed it) Arctic charr, questions begin to be answered...🧪🌍👇 buff.ly/ze75MrH

Twenty five years on from Dolph Schluter's book "The Ecology of Adaptive Radiation" that reshaped the way adaptive radiation was studied, this review revisits key questions raised to evaluate the progress made over the past quarter century, 8 of which remain unresolved...🌍🧪👇

‘The ecology of adaptive radiation’ revisited: A 25-year reflection

Abstract. Twenty-five years ago, the book The Ecology of Adaptive Radiation by Dolph Schluter presented a testable framework that integrated ecology, genet

doi.org

Ever wondered how we understand the processes shaping biodiversity? The answer lies in rates of molecular evolution. Many hypotheses about causal relationships have been made, linking life-histories to mutations, DNA repair & fixation. Here, a shift in focus is proposed...🌍🧪 doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Revisiting the determinants of molecular evolutionary rate variation

Abstract. Rates of molecular evolution are key parameters for understanding the processes shaping biological diversity. These rates vary among lineages and

doi.org

Come write for us! 🧪🌍

The Linnean Society of London@linneansociety.bsky.social · 4mo ago

📣 Call for writers! Are you an early career researcher? University student? Science communicator? Know someone who is? We're always looking for new Guest Bloggers to contribute to our journal blog The Paper Trail! Have a read below, or check out our vacancies page to apply. buff.ly/7IohkLQ

Processes of evolution can change over time, resulting in compositional & exchange rate tree heterogeneity...curious to know what the means for phylogenetics? Check out this paper 👇🌍🧪 doi.org/10.1093/evol...

📣 Call for Volunteers! Are you an early career researcher? University student? Science communicator? Know someone who is? We're always looking for new Guest Bloggers to contribute to our journal blog The Paper Trail! Find out more about it & apply below 👇🌍🧪

Vacancies

Explore the wealth of content available within The Linnean Society of London's website.

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Check out our latest journal cover, provided by Peter & Rosemary Grant linking to our #SpeicalIssue "Evolution on Islands"! Want your image to feature on our cover? Submit a paper with us today 👇🧪🌍 academic.oup.com/evolinnean/p...

Why not publish your research with a Society Journal? 🧪🌍 The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)

Renowned evolutionary biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant paid a special visit to the Society last week. The talk was a fascinating insight into the Grants' work on the Evolution of Darwin's Finches, supported by @cloeucl.bsky.social and @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social. Listen at buff.ly/3cT7E6u

As a Society Journal, it's not just the work that we publish that's important, but what that work goes on to support. This blog post sums up our role as a place for research perfectly: we help to shape the very systems through which people access knowledge...a 🧵(1/3) 🧪🌍 buff.ly/OymWe9o

Guest Post — Societies 2030: The Community Advantage in an AI-First World - The Scholarly Kitchen

Today's guest bloggers call for society publishers to recognize their unique role in shaping the systems researchers use to discover and evaluate knowledge.

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Last week we were delighted to host renowned researchers Peter & Rosemary Grant to discuss their work on the #Evolution of Darwin's finches. Many evolutionary scientists today can likely cite their work as inspiration in this field, and it was wonderful to hear them talk.

If history is written by the victors, who are the victors in science? Our latest #ThePaperTrail blog delves into who was holding the pen in taxonomy - a historically male-dominated field - using spiders as a case study. The answer probably won't shock you...🧪🌍 www.linnean.org/news/2026/03...

The Politics of Taxonomy - Tangled in a Web of Inequalities

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