The human-microbial ecosystem plays a variety of important roles in human health and disease. Each person can be viewed as an island-like “patch” of habitat occupied by microbial assemblages formed by the fundamental processes of community ecology: dispersal, local diversification, environmental selection, and ecological drift. Community assembly theory, and metacommunity theory in particular, provides a framework for understanding the ecological dynamics of the human microbiome, such as compositional variability within and between hosts. We explore three core scenarios of human microbiome assembly: development in infants, representing assembly in previously unoccupied habitats; recovery from antibiotics, representing assembly after disturbance; and invasion by pathogens, representing assembly in the context of invasive species. Judicious application of ecological theory may lead to improved strategies for restoring and maintaining the microbiota and the crucial health-associated ecosystem services that it provides.

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The Application of Ecological Theory Toward an Understanding of the Human Microbiome

Pheromones and other kinds of chemical communication underlie the behavior of all animals Building on the strengths of the first edition, widely recognized as the leading text in the subject, this is a comprehensive overview of how pheromones work Extensively revised and expanded to cover advances made over the last ten years, the book offers a thorough exploration of the evolutionary and behavioral contexts of chemical communication along with a detailed introduction to the molecular and neural basis of signal perception through olfaction At a time of ever increasing specialization, Wyatt offers a unique synthesis, integrating examples across the animal kingdom A final chapter critically considers human pheromones and the importance of olfaction to human biology Its breadth of coverage and readability make the book an unrivaled resource for students and researchers in a range of fields from chemistry, genetics, genomics, molecular biology and neuroscience to ecology, evolution and behavior

Pheromones and Animal Behavior: Chemical Signals and Signatures

Acoustic signals mediate mate choice, resource defense, and species recognition in a broad range of taxa. It has been proposed, therefore, that divergence in acoustic signals plays a key role in speciation. Nonetheless, the processes driving divergence of acoustic traits and their consequences in terms of speciation are poorly understood. A review of empirical and comparative studies reveals strong support for a role of sexual selection in acoustic divergence, but the possible concomitant influences of ecological context are rarely examined. We summarize a conceptual framework for testing the relative significance of both adaptive and neutral mechanisms leading to acoustic divergence, predictions for cases where these processes lead to speciation, and how their relative importance plays out over evolutionary time.

Evolutionary divergence in acoustic signals: causes and consequences

This year is the 50th anniversary of Tinbergen’s (1963) article ‘On aims and methods of ethology’, where he first outlined the four ‘major problems of biology’. The classification of the four problems, or questions, is one of Tinbergen’s most enduring legacies, and it remains as valuable today as 50 years ago in highlighting the value of a comprehensive, multifaceted understanding of a characteristic, with answers to each question providing complementary insights. Nonetheless, much has changed in the intervening years, and new data call for a more nuanced application of Tinbergen’s framework. The anniversary would seem a suitable opportunity to reflect on the four questions and evaluate the scientific work that they encourage. Origins of Tinbergen’s questions

/pdf/tinbergen-s-four-questions-an-appreciation-and-an-update-mpz09kc9vk.pdf

Tinbergen's four questions: an appreciation and an update

Human cultural traits—behaviors, ideas, and technologies that can be learned from other individuals—can exhibit complex patterns of transmission and evolution, and researchers have developed theoretical models, both verbal and mathematical, to facilitate our understanding of these patterns. Many of the first quantitative models of cultural evolution were modified from existing concepts in theoretical population genetics because cultural evolution has many parallels with, as well as clear differences from, genetic evolution. Furthermore, cultural and genetic evolution can interact with one another and influence both transmission and selection. This interaction requires theoretical treatments of gene–culture coevolution and dual inheritance, in addition to purely cultural evolution. In addition, cultural evolutionary theory is a natural component of studies in demography, human ecology, and many other disciplines. Here, we review the core concepts in cultural evolutionary theory as they pertain to the extension of biology through culture, focusing on cultural evolutionary applications in population genetics, ecology, and demography. For each of these disciplines, we review the theoretical literature and highlight relevant empirical studies. We also discuss the societal implications of the study of cultural evolution and of the interactions of humans with one another and with their environment.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/114/30/7782.full.pdf

Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters

Learning is widespread in nature, occurring in most animal taxa and in several different ecological contexts and, thus, might play a key role in evolutionary processes. Here, we review the accumulating empirical evidence for the involvement of learning in mate choice and the consequences for sexual selection and reproductive isolation. We distinguish two broad categories: learned mate preferences and learned traits under mate selection (such as bird song). We point out that the context of learning, namely how and when learning takes place, often makes a crucial difference to the predicted evolutionary outcome. Factors causing biases in learning and when one should expect the evolution of learning itself are also explored.

The impact of learning on sexual selection and speciation.

In our recent review in TREE [1], we raised the question of how learned traits that act as mating cues can affect the speciation process. In his interesting comment on our paper [2], Kawecki proposes that learning of mating traits or cues can expedite genetic change under directional sexual selection and that, if learning enhances pre-existing genetic variation in a specific population, divergence can ensue. We also refer to theoretical studies that show that learning can facilitate evolution of traits and preferences by sexual selection (and refer to other studies showing that learned traits can also hinder this evolution) [1].

Jenny W. Boughman

Papers

The impact of learning on sexual selection and speciation.

The impact of learned mating traits on speciation is not yet clear: response to Kawecki.