Abstract. The Arctic has been the scene for (re)colonization, diversification, and adaptation of boreal and Arctic fauna. As anthropogenic warming of the A

Background While ants are textbook examples of eusocial animals in which altruistic behavior is maintained through kin selection, several ants form genetically diverse colonies that challenge this concept. One example is the Australian green-head ant (Rhytidoponera metallica) whose colonies harbor such extreme genetic variation that they have been speculated to represent an unstable form of eusociality. Yet, R. metallica is among the most successful ants on the Australian subcontinent. This success has been hypothesized to be partly due to the diverse venoms harbored within each colony. However, the genomic basis and evolutionary scenarios that maintain this toxin diversity remain unknown. Results To examine toxin genomic architecture, quantify individual-level genetic variation, and identify both proximate and ultimate mechanisms that have facilitated the toxin diversity in R. metallica, we generate a high-quality draft genome from a single worker. Most ectatotoxin genes are in clusters that contain evidence of multiple, complex gene-family expansions, some of which are likely explained by the presence of transposable elements. We also show that toxin regions of the genome exhibit elevated genetic variation despite being under strong selection and that this variation can translate to phenotypic diversity through toxin alleles with different functional properties. Conclusions Taken together, our results point to classical gene duplication and diversification as the main evolutionary mechanism by which the main toxin family in ant venoms evolves, suggest toxin-gene functional diversification under frequency-dependent selection maintains colony-level venom hypervariability in R. metallica, and provide new insight into the role of multi-level selection in eusocial animals.

Skogens konge har liten krone sammenliknet med det regaliet den irske kjempehjorten bar.

The Arctic tundra biome is undergoing rapid shrub expansion (‘shrubification’) in response to anthropogenic climate change. During the previous ~2.6 million years, glacial cycles caused substantial s...

With climate change, many species alter their distribution according to local climate velocities. For marine fish, suitable areas for spawning in a warming climate may be less favorable for the result...

Here, the authors provide a critical view of historical approaches to categorize microbial transmission in early life, and present a conceptual framework to capture the multifaceted nature of human mi...

Ethiopia is home to two subspecies of Colobus guereza, C. g. guereza and C. g. gallarum. Whereas C. g. guereza is listed as Least Concern by IUCN, the…

The elevational limit for trees is increasing worldwide due to global warming. The elevational range expansion of obligate ectomycorrhizal trees, such…

The ‘equilibrium assumption’ underlying biodiversity trends assessments in response to environmental changes is rarely challenged, the traditional ass…

DNA-points accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography (DNA-PAINT) enables nanoscale imaging with virtually unlimited multiplexing and molecul...

Plastflasker og gummidekk i havet frigjev kjemikaliar til vatnet. Mykje av dei hamnar i vår eiga næringskjede, men vi veit ikkje kva effekten er.

Norge skal fortsatt være en av verdens fremste polarforskningsnasjoner. Det er viktig for å ivareta Norges sikkerhet og geopolitiske interesser, og for å håndtere og forstå raske klimaendringer. Derfo...

Dental implants are susceptible to peri‑implant inflammation caused by bacterial biofilms, with surface properties playing a key role in bacterial adh…

Here, the authors show that IRX3 is a transcriptional master regulator of multiple histone- and chromatin-remodeling enzymes and the SUMOylation pathway in adipocyte precursor cells. IRX3 ablation res...

The growing wild ungulate populations across Europe represents an increasingly important source for the spread of zoonotic pathogens. Blastocystis is a common intestinal protist observed in humans and...

Open lectures on biodiversity from ants to ocean life, and how taxonomy helps us understand ecology and evolution. With Corrie S. Moreau, Cornell University, and Torsten H. Struck, University of Oslo.

Job title: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Epidemiological modelling (Plague) (284120), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Retrospective assessment of the iconic migratory Atlantic cod uncovers human-induced genome-wide changes during the last century.

Job title: Senior Engineer - Systems Developer (1-2 positions) (282855), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Friday, August 15, 2025

Nature Communications - Here, the authors show that IRX3 is a transcriptional master regulator of multiple histone- and chromatin-remodeling enzymes and the SUMOylation pathway in adipocyte...

More than 6,000 bone fragments were found and dated, giving a rare ecological snapshot of the last ice age.