Ants are a dominant feature of terrestrial ecosystems, yet we know little about the forces that
drive their evolution. Recent findings illustrate that their diets range from herbivorous to …

Most flowering plants establish mutualistic associations with insect pollinators to facilitate
sexual reproduction. However, the evolutionary processes that gave rise to these associations …

Wolbachia are the most prevalent and influential bacteria described among the insects to date.
But despite their significance, we lack an understanding of their evolutionary histories. To …

Herbivory is a key innovation in insects, yet has only evolved in one-third of living orders. The
evolution of herbivory likely involves major behavioral changes mediated by remodeling of …

Transcontinental dispersals by organisms usually represent improbable events that constitute
a major challenge for biogeographers. By integrating molecular phylogeny, historical …

Maternally transmitted bacteria have been important players in the evolution of insects and
other arthropods, affecting their nutrition, defense, development, and reproduction. …

In this article, we describe the distributions of Entomoplasmatales bacteria across the ants,
identifying a novel lineage of gut bacteria that is unique to the army ants. While our findings …

The diversity of herbivorous insects is attributed to their propensity to specialize on toxic plants.
In an evolutionary twist, toxins betray the identity of their bearers when herbivores coopt …

Analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA have suggested the paraphyly of Syringa with respect
to Ligustrum, a hypothesis requiring further testing from other sources of data. In addition, …

Highlights • Genomic studies reveal variation at genes mediating plant–herbivore interactions.
• Theory suggests spatially varying selection (SVS) maintains this variation. • Genetic …