Spatial‐Scale Evolutionary Bias Sheds Light on the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient
Haoyuan Wu, Donghui Xu, Yonghua Wu · 2026
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Description
Haoyuan Wu and colleagues test a proposed reason why species crowd near the equator and thin toward the poles, one of ecology's oldest patterns. Their idea is that evolution itself is biased by scale: types adapt toward places where fitness gains run higher, slowly piling diversity where conditions reward most. They tested the bias in the lab with Escherichia coli as the model system.
Experimental lines of the bacterium showed the predicted drift toward higher-fitness ground. A matching fitness slope across latitudes could then feed the diversity gradient seen in nature. The authors present the findings as a first experimental foothold for the idea, not a settled answer. Lab proof in a microbe gives field ecologists a mechanism they can hunt for in larger creatures.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Haoyuan Wu, Donghui Xu, Yonghua Wu |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 84 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |