Biological coevolution is a reciprocal evolutionary process in which two or more species exert selective pressures on each other, leading to genetically correlated changes in their traits over time. This process can occur in diverse interaction types, including antagonistic (e.g., host–parasite, predator–prey) and mutualistic (e.g., pollinator–plant, symbiont–host) relationships. Coevolution involves feedback loops where adaptive changes in one lineage alter the fitness landscape of its partner(s), often generating evolutionary arms races, trait matching, or specialization. It is typically studied using comparative phylogenetics, quantitative genetics, and empirical experiments to test for correlated trait evolution and specificity of interaction.
Ribosomes are the components of cells that read RNA and build proteins. Without the ribosome, the chemistry of life would still be catalyzed by raw RNA. And yet the origin of the ribosome remains a mystery. In a Perspective ...
Evolution
Feb 24, 2026
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Rove beetles have evolved a neat trick to survive. They cloak themselves in ant pheromones, allowing them to enter and remain undetected within ant colonies. But it comes with a catch. Once a rove beetle lineage evolves this ...
In Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass," Alice is stuck in a never-ending race with the Red Queen yet never gains a lead. "It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place," the Queen says. "Though we ...
Evolution
Jan 27, 2026
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European cuckoos lay very different eggs depending on the host species. Genetic analyses have revealed how this adaptation is inherited without leading to speciation.
Evolution
Oct 31, 2025
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The maternal–fetal interface is the meeting point for maternal and fetal cells during pregnancy. It's long been understood as an area of conflict, where the placenta—a fetal organ—invades the mother to access nutrients.
Evolution
Sep 8, 2025
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62
The microbiome comprises a multitude of bacteria, viruses and fungi that exist in and on a multicellular organism. The interactions of body cells and the microbiome form a structural and often functional unit, the so-called ...
Evolution
Sep 8, 2025
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The microscopic alliance between algae and bacteria offers rare, step-by-step snapshots of how bacteria lose genes and adapt to increasing host dependence. This is shown by a new study led by researchers from Stockholm University, ...
Evolution
Aug 29, 2025
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91
Natural ecosystems are intricate webs where species can interact directly, like predators and prey, or influence one another through a chain of environmental effects. But can these indirect interactions be powerful enough ...
Evolution
Aug 27, 2025
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38
Many insects live in symbiosis with certain species of bacteria. These bacteria make important contributions to their hosts' nutrition, digestion, detoxification, reproduction and defense. Due to their close coexistence with ...
Ecology
Aug 14, 2025
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