Molecular Ecology, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 31(1), P. 1 - 30

Published: Dec. 26, 2021

Molecular Ecology continues to be well cited, with an Impact Factor (IF) of 6.185 in 2020, ranking 7th out 50 journals evolutionary biology according Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports. In terms overall impact, ranks third among ecology and second evolution as measured by Google Scholar's h5-index, which is the h-index for articles published over past five years. This stems both from large number each year (386 2020), high median impact factor our articles. Indeed, h5-median statistic this measure. As discussed last year's editorial we are now making open calls Associate Editors. approach has been successful, resulting recruitment 10 new Editors helping diversify Editorial Board geographically. Resources wished consider implementing double-blind peer review order increase diversity authors. The current single-blind model may cause biases against authors based on race, ethnicity, gender, institution, career stage, or other factors. To gain molecular community's views, conducted a survey authors’ reviewers’ preferences single-blind, double-blind, transparent review. Out 165 respondents, 43% preferred review, 33% 24% Definitions most common reasons given preferring shown Table 1. Early researchers were more favour less compared established (Figure 1). Career stage did not affect Although was popular model, respondents commented that anonymising manuscripts impractical. Doing so significant burden authors, reviewers often able deduce identities manuscript content. Furthermore, many released preprints before journal submission, anonymity would conflict benefit-sharing statements data policies where cite scripts attributed Despite being overall, several strongly opposed Concerns included risk critical receiving retaliation particular threat early researchers. Reviewers therefore feel pressured comment favourably, decline provide extra effort required submit publishable reviews acknowledged, while documentation rarely viewed. light concerns around will keep but implement changes aimed at reducing potential biases. varied partly influenced also aim introduce choice. Authors’ de-emphasised removing their names invitation emails, asked whether they wish reveal identity Some anonymous, choice sign decision letters. Editors’ accepted recognise contributions process. We noted value assessing reviews, ensuring comments constructive, specifying points should responded improve manuscript. These have shared Boards, training standard practice decisions manuscripts. Over two years, built healthy audience across social media. With 5600 followers currently visiting @molecology than 40,000 month, exposure work ecologists all world gained greater visibility 2). Members Junior (JEB) readers sharing 350 tweets per receive 1.5 million impressions 3). Future growth ensure members outside scientific community exposed ecologists, thereby increasing society. translation complex general challenging exercise, Spotlight, blog, aims mediate such dialogue. JEB continue post summaries highlighted papers, “interviews author,” particularly those (ECR), help broad understand inception ideas, implementation experiments, interpretation results. Spotlight growing 4), visits old posts, suggesting personal experiences represent legacy community. expect slowly grow output its portfolio. A major focus act catalyst researcher development, starting careers. year, become important asset continuing extend reach cohorts young join ranks. saw first cohort depart 2021. Dr. Megan Smith, Nick Fountain-Jones, Luke Brown started tenure three years ago grateful creativity hard establish protocols employed journal. Besides contributing Social Media presence Resources, plays role preprint invitations, adjudicating Harry Smith Prize, spearheading Special Issues. More recently, taken leadership Reviews Synthesis under guidance senior board Resources. JEB’s involvement expected publish journals. Prize awarded annually “an outstanding scientist who made ecology,” selected independent award committee. 2021, prize Fuwen Wei, Professor Animal Conservation Biology Institute Zoology, Chinese Academy Sciences. Wei pioneer conservation genomics metagenomics endangered animals, focusing mainly giant red pandas. He applied genetic genomic techniques assess past, present future panda populations, infer demographic processes, adaptive mechanisms feeding specialized bamboo diet. proposed elaborated targeted strategies long-term survival pandas, featured Science “Hope Wild Pandas”. 5 books 270 peer-reviewed articles, he global leader genomics. trained numerous students postdocs, fostered international cooperation zoologists biologists. His impressive accomplishments earned him awards recognition, instance, Lifetime Achievement Award Giant Panda Research Outstanding Technology biography his field can found pages 31–36 issue. recognizes best paper previous graduate scholars no postdoctoral fellowship experience. winner 2021 Yann Dorant Université Laval Québec titled ‘Copy variants outperform SNPs genotype-environment association marine species’ (Dorant et al., 2020). shows how reduced-representation sequencing cost effectively detect copy SNP variation, case analysis local adaptation American lobster. similar vein, runner-up Kaichi Huang University British Columbia demonstrated use identify inversions segregating natural populations – between dune non-dune sunflower ecotypes ecotype formation (Huang Second Tom Booker, Columbia, combination computer simulations empirical demonstrate recombination cold spots longer-tailed distribution FST values regions higher rates, leading excess false positives former deficit latter (Booker Dorant, Huang, Booker joined part prize. named after FRS, founded served Chief Managing Editor during journal's continued until 2008, went way encourage scholars. referees, listed end editorial, contribution time discipline. lieu society offers intellectual home includes platform (see above), focuses research News Views section, special issues, forth. support Ecologist blog (http://www.molecularecologist.com/), covers news reported venues beyond Ecology, eye interests people necessarily experts field. Lastly, annual highlight advances (below). section highlights some noteworthy papers From Cover these showcase innovative approaches advance ecology. pieces share theme examining drivers biological diversity, adaptation, selection using creative methodological tackle questions Metabarcoding revolutionized ability previously intractable habitats. Taking advantage tool, Arribas al. (2021) used haplotype-level metabarcoding examine soil arthropod Iberian mountains, gleaning >1000 species 3000 haplotypes. rich dataset explore turnover assembly within habitats, finding strong differentiation spatial scales. results indicate dispersal limitations driver suggest underestimating taxonomic group. When considering symbiosis drives examples co-speciation symbiotic lineages yet Dal Forno provides fascinating example rapid radiation one partner occur without complementary diversification other. sequence fungal (mycobiont) cyanobacterial (photobiont) partners form Dictyonema lichens. While recent mycobiont extremely high, 200 described far, find far lower, identifying just main lineages. Consequently, same photobionts long-diverged lineages, supporting analogy lichens “farmers” circulate amenable photobiont “crops” amongst themselves. Major environmental shifts drive devastate biodiversity. article, Stiller explored historical sea level shaped modern population dynamics charismatic leafy dragons, inhabit shallow seas along southern continental shelf Australia. reconstructed habitat availability since glacial maximum. They then sampled individuals day range, 857 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) analyze structure diversity. allowed detailed picture change interacted expansions contractions patterns see today. For generations, biologists debated why tropics contain vast article Brousseau helps shed processes hyperdominant Amazonian Eperua falcata. Following reciprocal transplant study course maternal effects phenotypic plasticity, uncovered divergence different micro regional genome wide scans key loci differential microhabitats, involve physiological stress response biotic interactions. Dick writes accompanying perspective, “signals exciting direction especially applications origins maintenance tropical tree diversity.” Understanding links selection, increasingly face changing erratic climatic conditions. However, difficult forest trees, long-lived large, genomes. Depardieu clever dendrochronological, environmental, characterize drought tolerance 43 white spruce (Picea glauca) garden plot 1979. Coupling temperature, precipitation, aridity dendrometric (tree-ring) anatomical, response, climate sensitivity traits, performed genotype-phenotype associations transcriptomic analysis, ultimately candidate genes involved response. Opgenoorth Rellstab paired exemplifies combining lines evidence circumvent challenges associated studying trees. standing variation basis does limited gene flow process? Kemppainen sought answer question nine-spined stickleback, relatively reduced well-known, three-spined relative. Like multiple colonized freshwater independently evolving pelvic structures QTL mapping show underlying phenotype diverse stickleback species. demonstrates shapes even seemingly systems. Recent brought appreciation suite responsible including expression, methylation, alternative splicing. set four Ahmad (2021), Jacobs Elmer Hsu Lindner provided advancements regard. Examining wild salmon only clear acts transcripts, quantify strength selection. mark-recapture experimental design coupled repeated sampling RNAseq expression parasitic infections. Their widespread disruptional, rather directional, transcripts linked survival. Josephson Bull write within-generational studies understanding temporal Much like splicing pre-mRNA contribute trait divergence, little known about populations. examines parallel Arctic charr ecotypes. Across pairs benthic-pelagic pairs, remarkably overlap differentially expressed spliced genes. another surprising finding, likely play central (“hub”) regulatory networks. distinct playing signals need focused topic. laboratory experiments offer adapt isolated variables, it unclear reflect responses settings. perspective Phillips Burke ask “Can teach us populations?” question, examined profiles laboratory-reared Drosophila temperature conditions 80 generations. identified evolved regimes, carefully distinguishing altered result lab (e.g., space constraints). temperature-responsive clines, two. that, least cases, designed predict respond environments. Organisms morphological level, do phenotypes, behavior, respond? DNA methylation modulate reproductive timing small songbird. By females throughout breeding season, methylation. rapid, directional promoter region genes, cycle chickens. Heckwolf Meyer note strive cope climates, insight into gene-environment interactions stages life history. Issues Feature. first, Issue “Environmental biomonitoring” edited Jan Pawlowski, Aurélie Bonin, Frédéric Boyer, Tristan Cordier, Pierre Taberlet, follow up pioneering 2012 issue DNA” (Taberlet 2012). decade, technological rapidly decreasing costs increased size breadth eDNA datasets reference databases. group novel analytical tools (e.g. machine learning, Apothéloz-Perret-Gentil 2021; Frühe Mauffrey 2021), types shotgun eRNA, Broman paleo-metabarcoding, Ibrahim bioindicators microbes, Lanzén 2021) apply ecological status (Cordier 2021). monitoring fish point introduction issue, bioindicators, monitor well-established. Papers go baseline biodiversity propose methods estimating abundance (Fukaya Pont Yates, Glaser, determine abiotic factors shape distributions (Aglieri Brys Littlefair McColl-Gausden An step validation data, eDNA, involves comparing traditional monitoring, bulk (Antich Gleason Harper van de Loos & Nijland, Suter macrofauna surveys (Drinkwater Lopes Additional impacts marker (Ficetola Martins preservation (Guerrieri optimization (Mächler final allow inference metapopulation trends (Martel Shum Palumbi, cow dung insect (Sigsgaard introduction, “…these attest efforts done methodology every workflow analysis” editors emphasize “it move transform truly science.” Feature “Resistance evolution, mechanism context” Regina Baucom, Ana Caicedo, Daniel Croll, Kenneth Olsen Sarah Yakimowski. pointed (Baucom builds long history through lens resistance pesticides, herbicides, fungicides. feature insights garnered evolution. context genome-scale intragenic (Clarkson pleiotropic constraints (Kreiner (Yakimowski landscape scales (Gaines Ravet few plant pathogens, mutations conferring (Hawkins Fraaije, architecture continents (Hartmann half providing overview herbicides ecoevolutionary agriculturally-adjacent communities plants biota (Iriart differences enteric microbiome insecticide-susceptible -resistant corn rootworm (Paddock disentangling relationship glyphosate resistance, self-fertilization, inbreeding outbreeding depression morning glory (Van Etten conclusion piece, works surface knowledge biochemical targets pesticides “Whole ecology”, Rebecca Taylor, Evelyn Jensen, David Coltman, Andrew Foote, Sangeet Lamichhaney. timely showcases array leverage resolution whole (WGS) range ecosystems” (Taylor, One centers highlighting WGS producing improved assemblies clearer intra- infra-organismal levels (Blom, Wold Yamaguchi compare in-vogue representation libraries (RRL), genotyping (GBS) restriction site (RADseq) convincing superiority regards (Duntsch Lou Szarmach others address insurmountable (Vekemans Yoder Tiley, Many resources undoubtedly serve come, bioinformatics pipelines (Lou Ribeiro compendium (Bourgeois Warren, timescales. samples individuals, effective signatures isolation (Foote Sarabia Manseau, Torres Vilaça Vershinina At shallower timescales, disentangle roles introgression (Comeault Errbii hybridization (Santos horizontal transfer (Wolfe low recombining (Purcell (Owens topic comprehensive advantages RRL fine-scale invasive (North “WGS assisting conclusive assessments structure, when analyses deeper arrived states” collection implications systems Southern White Rhinos (Sánchez-Barreiro Komodo dragons (Iannucci Galapagos tortoises (Jensen Mexican wolves (Taron New Zealand's alpine parrots (Martini uncover traits immune (Batley Moreno Santillán heterogeneity (Nunez Multiple take polygenic adaptations (Montejo-Kovacevich Pereira conduct genotype environment (GEA) revealing look variables (Colicchio DeRaad conclusion, “the presented herald era ecology, anticipate burgeoning application unprecedented consequential evolution,” Important discussion

Language: Английский