Molecular ecology

01 20 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70604

Genome‐Wide Analyses Reveal Spatially Structured Genetic Diversity in Indian Rice Shaped by Ancestry, Geography and Environment

Open DOI

Somnath Roy, Puranjoy Sar, Sonal Gupta et al.

India is a major centre of rice diversity, where long‐term cultivation across contrasting environments has generated substantial genomic and phenotypic variation. We analysed genome‐wide SNP variation in 313 Indian rice accessions to res...

Read abstract

02 19 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70592

Turning Red to Green Repeatedly: Ancestral LWS Duplications Drive Convergent Visual Tuning in Teleost Fishes

Open DOI

Fabio Cortesi, Daniel Escobar‐Camacho, Gina Maria Sommer et al.

Photopigments, formed by an opsin protein bound to a light‐sensitive chromophore, underlie vertebrate vision. Long‐wavelength–sensitive (LWS) opsins mediate red‐light detection, and most teleosts retain a single functional LWS1. A shorte...

Read abstract

03 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70595

Drift and Selection in a Recently Colonized Sea: The Genomic Basis of Adaptation to Low‐Salinity Waters in Baltic Harbour Porpoises

Open DOI

Enrique Celemín, Kristín E. Tiedemann, Katja Havenstein et al.

Understanding how demography and natural selection interact during colonization of novel environments is a central question in evolutionary biology. The Baltic Sea region combines one of the world's strongest salinity gradients with a we...

Read abstract

04 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70599

Chilling Out or Heating Up? Thermal Plasticity of Seminal Fluid Proteins in Drosophila melanogaster

Open DOI

Claudia Londoño‐Nieto, Roberto García‐Roa, Stuart Wigby et al.

Seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) play crucial roles in reproduction by shaping female post‐mating physiology and behaviour, male sperm competition and sexual conflict between the sexes. However, we know little about how abiotic ecological f...

Read abstract

05 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70594

Genomic Islands of Divergence Reveal Signature of Selection on the Alternate Homeolog in Upper Fraser River Sockeye Run‐Timing Groups

Open DOI

Ben J. G. Sutherland, Cory Williamson, Brian Toth et al.

Effective wildlife conservation and management depends on a thorough understanding of both neutral and adaptive intraspecific genomic variation. Population structure is often well understood in many ecologically or economically important...

Read abstract

06 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70591

The Genomic Landscape of Metallic Colour Variation in Ground Beetles

Open DOI

Yi‐Ming Weng, David H. Kavanaugh, Bryan Rubio‐Perez et al.

The metallic colour variation of beetles is a spectacular feature that has inspired diverse human cultures. However, little is known about the genetic basis of this trait or its ecological importance. In this study, we characterize the g...

Read abstract

07 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70596

Insight Into the Genetic Architecture of Local (Mal)Adaptation in Wild and Feral Brassica rapa Populations

Open DOI

S. Geneste, M. Gautier, S. Boitard et al.

As climate change drives rapid environmental shifts, crops face significant challenges due to their limited adaptive genetic diversity, threatening food security. Crop wild relatives and potentially feral populations can serve as valuabl...

Read abstract

08 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70593

Building Field‐Ready Environmental RNA Panels

Open DOI

Mehran Khorshid, Zahra Alizadeh Khatibani, Ehsan Pashay Ahi

Environmental RNA (eRNA) has been increasingly used to move beyond ‘who is there’ toward ‘who is active’ and ‘what is happening’ in ecosystems. Yet, most workflows have been optimised for laboratory sequencing, and decision‐grade field u...

Read abstract

09 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70590

Static Expression of Major Histocompatibility Complex Genes Across Life‐Stages, Generations and Tissues in a Songbird

Open DOI

Samantha Mellinger, Lars Råberg, Anna Drews et al.

The extraordinarily polymorphic Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is an iconic genomic region that has been associated with, for example, disease susceptibility, mate choice, and fitness. Both the MHC class I and II gene families ha...

Read abstract

10 16 October 2026

DOI 10.1111/mec.70597

Parallel Genomic Responses to Ecological Gradients in the Phalaenopsis amabilis Complex

Open DOI

Pei‐Wei Sun, Yu‐Hsin Huang, Chien‐Ti Chao et al.

There are multiple mechanisms that can underlie parallel adaptation to similar habitats at the genetic level, including de novo mutations, introgression, and shared standing variation. While evidence for each pathway is emerging, few stu...

Read abstract