Leeban Yusuf
@leebanhy.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist. Postdoc-ing in St Andrews. Interested in speciation, host-parasite evolution and viviparity. He/him. First gen. 🌈
New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
Genomic analyses in Drosophila do not support the classic allopatric model of speciation
Abstract. The allopatric model of speciation has dominated our understanding of speciation biology and biogeography since the Modern Synthesis. It is uncon
doi.org
January 15, 2026 at 11:58 AM
New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Different transcriptional responses to developmental versus short-term acclimation temperatures in Pieris rapae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.686846v1
November 13, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Different transcriptional responses to developmental versus short-term acclimation temperatures in Pieris rapae https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.686846v1
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Hi everyone! Please re-post: I want to highlight the amazing work of @queendroso.bsky.social and a newly formed NGO called the "Blossom STEM Education Initiative (BloSTEMEI)", which aims to support #STEM #Education, #Mentorship, innovation, and research-driven #ScienceOutreach across Africa ..
December 30, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Hi everyone! Please re-post: I want to highlight the amazing work of @queendroso.bsky.social and a newly formed NGO called the "Blossom STEM Education Initiative (BloSTEMEI)", which aims to support #STEM #Education, #Mentorship, innovation, and research-driven #ScienceOutreach across Africa ..
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Very happy to see our opinion article out in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social today. 🥳 We ask whether sexual signals can influence the evolutionary trajectory of naturally selected adaptations, such as protective colouration, for better or for worse 🧐 1/n
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
November 29, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Very happy to see our opinion article out in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social today. 🥳 We ask whether sexual signals can influence the evolutionary trajectory of naturally selected adaptations, such as protective colouration, for better or for worse 🧐 1/n
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Happy to share that our paper ‘a formal theory of group-level adaptation for obligate eusociality’ (with @andygardner.bsky.social) is now out in @jevbio.bsky.social advances.
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
November 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Happy to share that our paper ‘a formal theory of group-level adaptation for obligate eusociality’ (with @andygardner.bsky.social) is now out in @jevbio.bsky.social advances.
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
#OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Leaf? 🍃 Or katydid? 🦗
Our new
@plosbiology.org paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer… plos.io/4oUE741 1/n
Our new
@plosbiology.org paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer… plos.io/4oUE741 1/n
Functional and evolutionary synergy of trait components can explain the existence of leaf masquerade in katydids
The evolution of complex adaptations often involves synergistic changes in multiple traits that lack standalone function. This study shows that leaf masquerade in katydids evolved through concurrent m...
plos.io
November 4, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Leaf? 🍃 Or katydid? 🦗
Our new
@plosbiology.org paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer… plos.io/4oUE741 1/n
Our new
@plosbiology.org paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer… plos.io/4oUE741 1/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
We have a preprint out for our study testing conditions/signatures of repeated adaptation in multiple wild cricket populations. Feedback welcome!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Genomic signatures of local adaptation across parasitised cricket populations
Host-parasite interactions are predicted to exhibit geographic heterogeneity, creating the opportunity for local adaptation. This is difficult to detect because it requires knowledge of selection pres...
www.biorxiv.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:05 PM
We have a preprint out for our study testing conditions/signatures of repeated adaptation in multiple wild cricket populations. Feedback welcome!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Genomic signatures of local adaptation across parasitised cricket populations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.30.673289v1
September 4, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Genomic signatures of local adaptation across parasitised cricket populations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.30.673289v1
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
August 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Fantastic paper from an amazing team:
Genomics of Neotropical biodiversity indicators: Two butterfly radiations with rampant chromosomal rearrangements and hybridization
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Genomics of Neotropical biodiversity indicators: Two butterfly radiations with rampant chromosomal rearrangements and hybridization
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Genomics of Neotropical biodiversity indicators: Two butterfly radiations with rampant chromosomal rearrangements and hybridization | PNAS
A central question in evolutionary biology is what drives the diversification of lineages.
Rapid, recent radiations are ideal systems for this ques...
www.pnas.org
July 30, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Fantastic paper from an amazing team:
Genomics of Neotropical biodiversity indicators: Two butterfly radiations with rampant chromosomal rearrangements and hybridization
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Genomics of Neotropical biodiversity indicators: Two butterfly radiations with rampant chromosomal rearrangements and hybridization
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Really happy to share this article I'm grateful to have been a part of: 'Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience' coauthored with @kevinlala.bsky.social, @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Marcus Feldman. Check out a preprint here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
July 28, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Really happy to share this article I'm grateful to have been a part of: 'Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience' coauthored with @kevinlala.bsky.social, @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Marcus Feldman. Check out a preprint here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
So very excited for the magnum opus of my #PhD to finally be out in @pnas.org. 🎉🎉 We demosntrate that mutualistic co-mimicking tropical butterflies not only converge in light microhabitat but, as a consequence, have also converged in visual system morphology! 1/n😀
www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
July 16, 2025 at 9:29 AM
So very excited for the magnum opus of my #PhD to finally be out in @pnas.org. 🎉🎉 We demosntrate that mutualistic co-mimicking tropical butterflies not only converge in light microhabitat but, as a consequence, have also converged in visual system morphology! 1/n😀
www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Now all typeset and pretty! A little summary:
Very excited to share that our paper, ‘The clonality window: relatedness and the group covariance effect in the evolution of division of labour’, is out now in @journal-evo.bsky.social advances. With @andygardner.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#OpenAccess #Evolution #Multicellularity
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#OpenAccess #Evolution #Multicellularity
The clonality window: relatedness and the group covariance effect in the evolution of division of labour
Abstract. Cellular division of labour is closely associated with the emergence of organismality in the evolution of obligate multicellularity. Michod has s
doi.org
June 26, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Now all typeset and pretty! A little summary:
Excited to see our most recent MS finally out in the world. We used F1 female hybrids (of two behaviourally-isolated cricket species) to show that broad gene expression divergence in the brain underpins context-dependent divergence of female response to male sexual signals.
Cis-regulatory divergence and mate recognition in behaviourally isolated cricket species. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.19.654830v1
May 23, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Excited to see our most recent MS finally out in the world. We used F1 female hybrids (of two behaviourally-isolated cricket species) to show that broad gene expression divergence in the brain underpins context-dependent divergence of female response to male sexual signals.
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Just out in @journal-evo.bsky.social: "Testing for age- and sex- specific mitonuclear epistasis in Drosophila"
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Testing for age- and sex- specific mitonuclear epistasis in Drosophila
Abstract. The need for efficient ATP production is predicted to result in the evolution of cooperation between the mitochondrial and nuclear encoded compon
academic.oup.com
May 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Just out in @journal-evo.bsky.social: "Testing for age- and sex- specific mitonuclear epistasis in Drosophila"
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Very excited to share that our paper, ‘The clonality window: relatedness and the group covariance effect in the evolution of division of labour’, is out now in @journal-evo.bsky.social advances. With @andygardner.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#OpenAccess #Evolution #Multicellularity
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#OpenAccess #Evolution #Multicellularity
The clonality window: relatedness and the group covariance effect in the evolution of division of labour
Abstract. Cellular division of labour is closely associated with the emergence of organismality in the evolution of obligate multicellularity. Michod has s
doi.org
May 8, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Very excited to share that our paper, ‘The clonality window: relatedness and the group covariance effect in the evolution of division of labour’, is out now in @journal-evo.bsky.social advances. With @andygardner.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#OpenAccess #Evolution #Multicellularity
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
#OpenAccess #Evolution #Multicellularity
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
This was such a fun start to my @royalcom1851.bsky.social fellowship and involved plenty of stimulating discussions with Nathan Bailey and Graeme Ruxton. Also huge thanks to summer intern Lotte Rolfe for her militarian target checking efforts. Looking forward to the reviewer comments. 9/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
This was such a fun start to my @royalcom1851.bsky.social fellowship and involved plenty of stimulating discussions with Nathan Bailey and Graeme Ruxton. Also huge thanks to summer intern Lotte Rolfe for her militarian target checking efforts. Looking forward to the reviewer comments. 9/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
Together, these results show how synergy between trait components (ie colour and shape) can facilitate the evolution of complex adaptations such as masquerade, adding to existing mechanisms of composite trait evolution in other systems. 8/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Together, these results show how synergy between trait components (ie colour and shape) can facilitate the evolution of complex adaptations such as masquerade, adding to existing mechanisms of composite trait evolution in other systems. 8/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
But most interestingly of all, we not only found an evolutionary association between colour and shape, but phylogenetic pathway analyses also indicate that these traits were acquired simultaneously during the evolution of leaf masquerade. 7/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
But most interestingly of all, we not only found an evolutionary association between colour and shape, but phylogenetic pathway analyses also indicate that these traits were acquired simultaneously during the evolution of leaf masquerade. 7/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
For these analyses, I managed to reach the pinnacle of scientific endeavour... I designed an online survey. Interestingly, when controlling for phylogeny, interactions between colouration and shape also seem to influence human perceptions of "leafiness" (see ms for details). 6/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
For these analyses, I managed to reach the pinnacle of scientific endeavour... I designed an online survey. Interestingly, when controlling for phylogeny, interactions between colouration and shape also seem to influence human perceptions of "leafiness" (see ms for details). 6/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
So, how did leaf masquerade and its component traits evolve? To explore this, we conduted morphological comparative analyses of 51 katydid species from BCI, Panama where multiple elaboratons and reductions in "leafiness" have taken place across the tree (this is crying out for a pun...). 5/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
So, how did leaf masquerade and its component traits evolve? To explore this, we conduted morphological comparative analyses of 51 katydid species from BCI, Panama where multiple elaboratons and reductions in "leafiness" have taken place across the tree (this is crying out for a pun...). 5/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
The result was very simple: colour and shape synergistically interact to improve masquerade, confirming it is a composite trait. IE. Prey must be the correct colour (green) AND the correct shape (leaf-shaped) if they stand a chance at outfoxing their predators.... 4/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
The result was very simple: colour and shape synergistically interact to improve masquerade, confirming it is a composite trait. IE. Prey must be the correct colour (green) AND the correct shape (leaf-shaped) if they stand a chance at outfoxing their predators.... 4/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
The origin of complex composite adaptations has been an evolutionary biological puzzle for centuries. Leaf masquerade is one of the most spectcular examples (yes, ok, I'm biased) and lends itself nicely to both experimental and comparative study... (Photo cred: Hannah ter Hofstede) 2/n
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
The origin of complex composite adaptations has been an evolutionary biological puzzle for centuries. Leaf masquerade is one of the most spectcular examples (yes, ok, I'm biased) and lends itself nicely to both experimental and comparative study... (Photo cred: Hannah ter Hofstede) 2/n
Reposted by Leeban Yusuf
🍃New preprint alert!!🍃(maybe I'll start using this app more from now on 😂). Excited for my first piece of katydidling to be released into the wild. Feedback and comments, as always, are very welcome! @uniofstandrews.bsky.social 😊 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Extraordinary adaptations: Functional and evolutionary synergy of trait components can explain the existence of leaf masquerade
One of the most enduring mysteries in biology concerns the evolution of complex adaptations made up of interacting component traits. When these component traits lack an obvious adaptive function in is...
www.biorxiv.org
April 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
🍃New preprint alert!!🍃(maybe I'll start using this app more from now on 😂). Excited for my first piece of katydidling to be released into the wild. Feedback and comments, as always, are very welcome! @uniofstandrews.bsky.social 😊 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...