Our new paper doi.org/10.1098/rspb... on long-term genetic threats to small populations finds that "mutational meltdown" (bad mutations fixing) is less of a problem than "mutational drought" (too few good new mutations) @wmawass.bsky.social @uliseshmc.bsky.social @jeremyjberg.bsky.social 1/5
I'm hiring a postdoc to lead sedimentary aDNA reconstructions of alpine plant biodiversity as part of a broader project exploring the mechanisms of alpine plant resilience. Come join a collaborative team working in beautiful places! Bonus: postdocs at UMaine are unionized!
Abstract. Habitat loss contributes to extinction risk in multiple ways. Genetically, small populations can face an ‘extinction vortex’—a positive feedback
I invite applications for a PhD position. Join our team exploring how rapid evolution in communities allows maintenance of genetic variation and species diversity! Application deadline is 7th May 2026. See lab.hrcek.net
In case you missed it: our review titled "Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities" is out! 🚨
Let me hit you with some highlights on why spatial structure matters. (and why you should care!)
Sharing is appreciated 🙏 🧵👇
doi.org/10.1093/fems...
Lovely article about the impactful and inspirational career of Roger Butlin (now retired). I've always admired how he worked hard at community building and research synthesis, and his research achievements were even more extensive than I realised: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
A short summary: link.growkudos.com/1cgma9zl7gg, based on @univie.ac.at press release www.univie.ac.at/en/news/deta...
📣 EvolDir is now managed by @eseb.bsky.social!
We are delighted to be taking the reins and express our gratitude to both Brian Golding who began this service to the community in the mid-1980s and to @rdmpage.bsky.social who ran this account until now 👏
You can now find evoldir here: evoldir.net
New #ecoevo paper @pnas.org: Evolution of species’ range and niche in changing environments. I show that feedback between evolutionary and population dynamics can create a tipping point where genetic variance erodes, and species’ ranges contract or fragment www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #popgen 🧬🧪 🌎
Joanna Masel
PhD-position vacancy in Jan Hrcek's lab lab.hrcek.net, Czech Academy of Sciences: Exploring how rapid evolution in communities allows maintenance of genetic variation and species diversity. @erc.europa.eu 🪰 🧬 🌏 🧪Application deadline: January 7th 2026
Jacquelyn Gill
Jan Hrcek
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the stat...
In 2025, the annual meeting of the Population Genetics Group (PopGroup) returned to Sheffield, U.K., for the third time. The timing could not have been mor
The study shows that adaptation to changing environments is subject to a critical limit: even when environmental change is gradual, there is a tipping point beyond which adaptation can suddenly fail. ...
link.growkudos.com
Preprint finally out! I show that eco-evo feedback can drive a tipping point where genetic drift overwhelms adaptation. This can result in a contraction of a species' range border or range fragmentation. Fragmentation is abrupt and arises readily under rapid temporal change. doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Video
Jitka Polechová
Evolution of species' range and niche in changing environments https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.16.633367v1
