Epigenetic Intelligence: How Organisms Track Their Environment Through Molecular Memory

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2026-01-09

Abstract The regulation of gene expression by epigenetic markers is a growing area of focus for researchers who seek to explain rapid phenotypic acclimatization to environmental change. Yet even as empirical datasets accumulate exponentially, the mechanistic underpinnings of epigenetic changes and their role in connecting environmental variation with the regulation of gene function remain unclear. Here, we use a stochastic model of epigenetic change to generate three testable predictions: (1) that organisms require environmental feedback to track their environments through epigenetic responses, (2) that this tracking requires coordination between the addition and removal of epigenetic markers, and (3) that epigenetically driven tracking is only effective under specific subsets of environmental variability. Despite the intuitiveness of these postulates, few to no experimental studies directly test them. We review correlational evidence consistent with the model’s predictions, describe hypothetical mechanisms by which epigenetic strategies could evolve, and clearly identify knowledge gaps and urgent experimental needs in the field. Overall, the field of environmental epigenetics is poised for major advances, which can be enhanced through the continued synthesis of mathematical frameworks and empirical data.

A model for heat and light stress in photosynthesis

Ecological Modelling · 2026-05-21

Adapting species risk assessments to a changing climate: the underestimated vulnerability of foundational trees

DRYAD · 2026-03-26

This dataset supports a systematic review and risk assessment of 27 endemic and near-endemic California tree species under projected climate change. It comprises two supplementary tables. Table S1 contains 52 records of species distribution model (SDM) outputs drawn from the published literature, organized by species and source study. For each record, the table includes the species' Latin and common names, the citation, climate models and emissions scenarios used, the type of distribution data (presence-absence), baseline period and year, and projected percent contraction in climatically suitable habitat at mid-century (~2055), end-of-century (~2100), and ~2125 time horizons, reported as low and high estimates. Projected values are standardized to common reference years to enable cross-study comparison. Table S2 provides species-level summary data for all 27 focal species, including total range area (km²), the proportion of range occurring within California, mean projected habitat loss and area of persistence across time horizons and estimate ranges, a demographic change score synthesizing field-observed responses to climate change, and climate risk scores corresponding to IUCN Red List Criteria A3 and B1. Risk scores are reported both across all studies and separately for a focal subset (Rose et al. 2023).

Adapting Species Risk Assessments to a Changing Climate: The Underestimated Vulnerability of Foundational Trees

Global Change Biology · 2026-04-01

Climate change is one of the top threats to biodiversity. However, many species risk assessment frameworks, including the globally authoritative International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, do not consistently and comprehensively incorporate loss of climatically suitable habitat into listing or threat categorization decisions. Using California's foundational, endemic and near-endemic trees as an exemplary set of high biodiversity and cultural value species (N = 27), we reviewed and synthesized the literature on species' model-projected changes in suitable habitat, and on field-observed spatial and temporal demographic responses to climate change. We demonstrate multiple approaches to using this existing literature to integrate climate threats into species risk assessments, with a focus on the Red List criteria. Over the next century, our focal species are projected to lose between half and three-quarters of their existing suitable habitat, which would lead to substantial impacts on ecosystem structure and function in forests, woodlands and savannas. Overall, species are more vulnerable than is reflected by their current Red List status. Even under conservative estimates of climate change impacts, two-thirds of our focal species could now meet the Red List A3 Criterion for Endangered or Critically Endangered status, because of projected loss of climatically suitable habitat (a six-fold increase). We also found a positive relationship between species' model-projected risk and observed demographic responses to climate change, indicating that in many cases, projected responses are already evident on the ground. To inform conservation prioritization, we visualized the geographic patterns of species' suitable habitat loss using heatmaps. Our results illustrate the need to revise species risk assessments in light of climate change to better align research and conservation priorities with species' vulnerability. They also highlight the conservation needs of currently widespread but high climate-risk species, and the regional threats to ecosystem structure and function from foundational species loss.

Effects of mixotrophic metabolism on predation risk

Marine Ecology Progress Series · 2026-04-13

Seeking service: How client behavior determines cleaning station clustering

Journal of Theoretical Biology · 2026-02-04

Cleaner shrimp engage in a mutualistic relationship with reef fish, providing cleaning services in exchange for nutritional benefits. These shrimp inhabit stationary sea anemones, forming "cleaning stations" that rely on mobile fish clients to locate and revisit them. To investigate how fish movement behaviors influence the spatial distribution of cleaning stations, we developed an individual-based model that explicitly incorporates both stochastic fish movement and two forms of directed fish movement strategies: taxis (i.e. gradient-following) and memory-based movement. Our results reveal that directed movement, whether through taxis or memory, promotes the formation of spatially clustered cleaning stations, but only when the range of directed movement outweighs the homogenizing effects of random dispersal. Specifically, memory-based clustering requires the memory range to exceed dispersal distance, while taxis-based clustering emerges even with taxis-based movement ranges exceeded by dispersal distance. By parameterizing the model with empirical data on client fish visitation frequencies, we further show that reefs dominated by "Choosy" fish (those willing to travel farther for preferred stations) exhibit stronger station clustering compared to reefs with "Resident" fish (territorial species with limited movement). These findings highlight how client behavior shapes the spatial ecology of cleaning mutualisms, with implications for understanding partner encounter dynamics in other species interactions.

Eco-evo conflicts in a stage-structured mutualism: modeling the consequences of ontogenetic variation in host quality

Ecological Modelling · 2026-03-18

Author response for "A Busse Balloon in the Lagoon: Herbivore Behaviour Generates Spatial Patterns in Coral Reef Ecosystems"

2025-02-10

Author response for "A Busse Balloon in the Lagoon: Herbivore Behaviour Generates Spatial Patterns in Coral Reef Ecosystems"

2025-02-20