American Society of Naturalists

A membership society whose goal is to advance and to diffuse knowledge of organic evolution and other broad biological principles so as to enhance the conceptual unification of the biological sciences.

Forthcoming Papers

Trout tales: How stream habitats dictate fish size and survival

Trout tales: How stream habitats dictate fish size and survival

Posted on by Purbayan Ghosh, edited by Genrietta Yagudayeva

Read about “Availability of juvenile refuge habitats explains the dynamics and size structure of cannibalistic fish populations” by Wojciech Uszko, Tobias van Kooten, and Pär Byström (Apr 2025)

Probing the Probability of Polyploid Persistence

Probing the Probability of Polyploid Persistence

Posted on by Regina Fairbanks, edited by Swapna Subramanian

Read about “Dynamics of Mixed-Ploidy Populations under Demographic and Environmental Stochasticities” by Michelle L. Gaynor, Nicholas Kortessis, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, and José Miguel Ponciano (Apr 2025)

Coexistence across time and life histories

Coexistence across time and life histories

Posted on by Jeremy Summers, edited by Juan Carvajal-Castro and Julia Harenčár

Read about “Fluctuation-dependent coexistence of stage-structured species” by Chhaya M. Werner, Lauren M. Hallett, and Lauren G. Shoemaker (Mar 2025)

Mechanisms of coexistence are often un-intuitive; Werner et al. explore species interactions across different environmental scenarios to bridge theoretical and empirical approaches to coexistence

My Husband is Hot! – How having an attractive mate can provide tangible benefits to birds

My Husband is Hot! – How having an attractive mate can provide tangible benefits to birds

Posted on by Kaleigh Remick, edited by Juan David Carvajal Castro and Julia Harenčár

Read about “Females with Attractive Mates Gain Environmental Benefits That Increase Lifetime and Multigenerational Fitness” by Douglas G. Barron, Hubert Schwabl, Patrick A. Carter, Daniel T. Baldassarre, Willow R. Lindsay, Jordan Karubian, and Michael S. Webster (Mar 2025)

A decade-long study by Barron et al. shows that female birds with attractive mates have lower breeding costs, so make more young across their long lives. Their attractive sons also produce more grand-offspring. Male environment, not genes, drives these multigenerational benefits.

The metabolic theory of ecology can be extended to improve our predictions of climate change impacts

The metabolic theory of ecology can be extended to improve our predictions of climate change impacts

Posted on by Shubha Govindarajan, edited by Lena Holtmanns & Julia Harenčár

Read about “Toward a More Dynamic Metabolic Theory of Ecology to Predict Climate Change Effects on Biological Systems” by Keila A. Stark, Tom Clegg, Joey R. Bernhardt, Tess N. Grainger, Christopher P. Kempes, Van Savage, Mary I. O’Connor, and Samraat Pawar (Mar 2025)

The metabolic theory of ecology explains macroecological patterns in biological rates and states from individuals to ecosystems through fundamental constraints on metabolism. In order to apply it to climate change questions, some of its original assumptions need to be revisited.

Adapt or Freeze: How Harsh Winters Are Reshaping Bluebirds’ Survival

Adapt or Freeze: How Harsh Winters Are Reshaping Bluebirds’ Survival

Posted on by Baltazar González Chávez, edited by Swapna Subramanian and Julia Harenčár

Read about “Natural Selection after Severe Winter Favors Larger and Duller Bluebirds” by Virginie Rolland, Susan L. Balenger, Jennifer L. Grindstaff, and Lynn Siefferman (Dec 2024)