Tim Janicke

The final part of the story: "The arduous path to obligate asexuality in Daphnia" is out in #ProcB 🥳 royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article.... 1. Instead of comparing long-established asexuals to sexuals, we generated new asexual lineages to observe the transition in action.

The core-pivotal index: a geometry-first approach to academic impact The defining goal of the academic endeavor is to establish a single perfect value that completely summarizes entire careers’ achievements. Such an index wo

@russcd.bsky.social ushers in a new era of academic metrics with the core-pivotal author index, which assigns all credit to authors that occupy the exact center of the author list, while non-central peripheral authors receive no credit whatsoever.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag026

#evobio #molbio

Are current methods inaccurate in quantifying ageing & selective disappearance? We compare methods using simulations, analytical solutions, and empirical data, across life histories & methodologies (eg incomplete data). Surprising results & several recommendations. ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

Birdwatching may reshape the brain and build its buffer against ageing Expert birdwatchers have changes in their brain structure compared with novices, which probably help them better identify birds and may even protect against age-related cognitive decline

“Birdwatching may reshape the brain and build its buffer against ageing.

“Expert birdwatchers have changes in their brain structure compared with novices, which probably help them better identify birds and may even protect against age-related cognitive decline.” 🪶

💥⚡⚡NEW PAPER ALERT ⚡⚡💥
Temperature rises and impacts on sexual selection; mate choice mechanisms, phenotypes, fitness in current opinions in insect science with
@evol-lab-ex.bsky.social
#TomTregenza
Paper is here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Thrilled to share our new paper with the brilliant @srishtipatil.bsky.social & @sabinenoebel.bsky.social ! 🎉
Can mate copying maintain phenotypic diversity with multiple male options to choose from? find out @
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

@dkfz.bsky.social @unihalle.bsky.social @cctb-wue.bsky.social

Courtship is complicated, even in fruit flies Love is in the air for the vinegar fly. Drosophila melanogaster has long been a model for understanding how brains translate sensory information into courtship behavior.

Male fruit flies use specific visual cues, particularly the female's eyes, to guide precise courtship behaviors, highlighting a more complex role for vision in Drosophila mating rituals. doi.org/hbqcw8

The adaptive significance of polyandry: a meta-analysis Abstract. Polyandry is prevalent, but the optimal patterns of mating for females remain poorly understood despite their importance for our understanding of

Compelling meta-analytic evidence for female fitness benefits of polyandry in arthropods by Yan et al.

academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Led by my talented PhD student @justine-armg.bsky.social we’re running a #meta-analysis of #cross-sex-genetic-correlations in fitness components.

If you have unpublished data or know of studies that might not appear in a systematic search, please reach out, we’d love to include them!

Please share!

Excited to spend 28 Feb at Istanbul University discussing sexual selection with students. From Darwin to modern days, we'll talk about history, biology and philosophy of sexual selection theory.

Territoriality, sociality and male weaponry shape horn investment in female bovids
#Competition #Mammal

doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Sex-role reversal and the Bateman gradient in coucals—females benefit from mating with multiple partners Abstract. Conventional sex roles imply that males compete more vigorously with each other for fertilizations, whereas females are more selective in choosin

Our new paper on Bateman gradients in black coucals and white-browed coucals is out. Females of both species outperform males in mating and reproductive success - confirming the generality of Bateman's principle when sex roles differ.
Check it out: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Warm waters undermine cryptic female choice Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

New paper out in @funecology.bsky.social y.social: Warm waters undermine cryptic female choice! We find ovarian fluid only has a positive effect on sperm function at colder temperatures and that sneaker males have faster sperm than dominant nesting males at warmer temperatures. (1/3)

Warm waters undermine cryptic female choice Matthew C. Kustra, Louise M. Alissa, Michaela M. Rogers, Megan M. Molinari, Kelly A. Stiver, Susan Marsh-Rollo, Jennifer K. Hellmann, Suzanne H. Alonzo This is a plain language summary of a Functio…

📰Published📰Warm waters undermine cryptic female choice🐟️

buff.ly/U6zrsZ4

🧪🌍

🚨Postdoc opportunity🚨: The impact of global change on parental care systems

Interested in Shorebirds? Global change? Parental care? Fieldwork? 🐣☀️ Come join us in Budapest!

Interested candidates - get in touch! Deadline Feb 28 2026

labelled diagrams of fruit fly behaviours

🛠️ December’s most-read Tools and Resources paper presents a new open-source, low-cost system that accurately tracks aggression and courtship in fruit flies: buff.ly/9dRgwve

Learn more about publishing your tools or resources with us: buff.ly/9u8ZA6k

Join our symposium on

Eco-evolutionary dynamics of #SexualSelection and #SexualConflict at #ECE2026Tours!

⏰ Last week to submit an abstract!

Size matters. Among the great apes, human penises are unusually large. Why? Check out our new open access paper in @plosbiology.org led by @upama.bsky.social. Link here: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

And read the lay article in @theconversation.com here: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Why is the human penis longer and thicker than those of other great apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas? Read our @aunz.theconversation.com piece to find out!
Full paper from @plosbiology.org below! 👇 1/3

#LoveMethods26 is on its way! You can still check it out: excelscior.uc.pt/love-methods...

🚨 PhD offer (please share)
Fascinated by bird migration and movement ecology? 🦜🌍 Join us at @vogelwarte.bsky.social to study annual cycle energetics with multi-sensor loggers in multiple species

Deadline: 20 Feb 2026
Starting: June 2026
Supervision: Martins Briedis & me

Info: tinyurl.com/2dbv9nzh

Just a week left to apply for a position in our Editorial Board!

Ecological and social pressures drive same-sex sexual behaviour in non-human primates - Nature Ecology & Evolution Phylogenetic regression and structural equation modelling of environmental, social and life history traits across the primate clade indicates correlates for same-sex sexual behaviour (SSB), and suggests that while environmental and life history traits tend to influence SSB indirectly, social complexity directly promotes its occurrence.

Same-sex sexual behaviour in non-human primates is associated with ecological factors, life history and social structure, according to research published in @natecoevo.nature.com: spklr.io/633248d15a

#Ecology #EcoSky 🌍

Join us in Brittany? One week left to apply for this postdoc position deciphering the mysteries of inbreeding depression...

Is lifespan shaped by genetic conflict between the sexes? In wild marmots, longevity is heritable but negatively genetically correlated between males and females, implying selection for longer life in one sex favors shorter life in the other. Image Credit: Wikimedia
academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

Three male side-blotched lizard with three neck colors: orange, blue, and yellow

Lizards have evolved their own version of rock-paper-scissors. Here's my story on the genetics behind nature's games. Gift link: nyti.ms/493KGMI

Allometry, sexual dimorphism, and sexual trait elaboration in the birds of paradise Abstract. Sexually selected traits include not only some of the most elaborate phenotypes in nature, but also some of the most diverse and sexually dimorph

As an early Christmas gift, @journal-evo.bsky.social accepted @kenstoyama.bsky.social and my paper on macroevolutionary patterns of ornament evolution in birds of paradise! 🦚

Check it out here:
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Relative testis size is associated with vagina length but not sperm storage traits in Galliformes Abstract. Post-copulatory sexual selection, comprised of sperm competition and cryptic female choice, is a powerful evolutionary force that can drive the r

Surprisingly, sperm length is not linked to sperm storage traits. Instead, vagina length emerges as a key—yet overlooked—player in post-copulatory sexual selection in birds. academic.oup.com/evlett/article/9/6/686/8271462

Reduced male pheromone production and an increased female sex ratio promote same-sex sexual behaviour in male Indian meal moths Same-sex sexual behaviours (SSSBs) are often deemed detrimental to fitness because they carry the same costs as sexual interactions with the opposite …

if you enjoyed our chat today do check out my published paper at www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... :)

ECE 2026 - XIII European Congress of Entomology It is our great pleasure to welcome you to Tours, France, in the heart of the Loire Valley, from June 29 to July 3, 2026.

🎄✨ Early Christmas gift!

The abstract submission deadline for #ECE2026Tours has been extended to 31 January 2026 🎁🐜

For more information about the XIII European Congress of Entomology ➡️ www.ece2026.org

@irbi-tours.bsky.social @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social