American Society of Naturalists

A membership society whose goal is to advance and to diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences.

Forthcoming Papers

Building Connections: How the flow of resource networks drives ecosystem function and diversity

Building Connections: How the flow of resource networks drives ecosystem function and diversity

Posted on by Nidhi Vinod, edited by Gretta Yagudayeva and Julia Harenčár

Read about “Resource Flow Network Structure Drives Metaecosystem Function” by Tianna Peller, Isabelle Gounand, and Florian Altermatt (Dec 2024)

Nonliving resources frequently flow across ecosystem boundaries, yielding networks of spatially coupled ecosystems. Peller et al. show ecosystem function at landscape scales can depend on the spatial structure of resource flow networks connecting ecosystems and organism feeding traits.

Wild Microbes Take the Evolutionary Road Less Traveled

Wild Microbes Take the Evolutionary Road Less Traveled

Posted on by Deepika Gunasekaran, edited by Lena Holtmanns

Read about “Multivariate Divergence in Wild Microbes: No Evidence for Evolution along a Genetic Line of Least Resistance” by Emile Gluck-Thaler, Muhammad Arsam Shaikh, and Corlett W. Wood (Jan 2025)

Why snake skins make a great addition to your home (if you’re a bird, that is)

Why snake skins make a great addition to your home (if you’re a bird, that is)

Posted on by Megha Srigyan, edited by Juan Carvajal Castro and Julia Harenčár

Read about “The Evolution of Using Shed Snake Skin in Bird Nests” by Vanya G. Rohwer, Jennifer L. Houtz, Maren N. Vitousek, Robyn L. Bailey, and Eliot T. Miller (Feb 2025)

Why do some birds incorporate shed snake skin in their nest? Rohwer et al. suggest that the evolution of this unique, but wide spread behavior is dependent upon nest morphology and most commonly observed in cavity nesting species...

What ratio of sons to daughters <i>should</i> you have?

What ratio of sons to daughters should you have?

Posted on by Iain R. Moodie, edited by Lena Holtmanns and Julia Harenčár

Read about “Sex Allocation in a Monogamous Bird: Advantaged Matrilines and Sons with Silver Spoons” by Ashley Atkins Coleman, Kelly D. Miller, Kelly L. O’Neil, Rin Pell, Shelby R. Green, and E. Keith Bowers (Jan 2025)

Parasite Power Plays: How Do Coinfections Shape Host Genetics and Traits?

Parasite Power Plays: How Do Coinfections Shape Host Genetics and Traits?

Posted on by Elvira D’Bastiani, edited by Genrietta Yagudayeva and Julia Harenčár

Read about “The Dominance of Coinfecting Parasites’ Indirect Genetic Effects on Host Traits” by Daniel I. Bolnick, Sophia Arruda, Christian Polania, Lauren Simonse, Arshad Padhiar, Maria L. Rodgers, and Andrea J. Roth-Monzón (Nov 2024)