PeerJ Preprints: Evolutionary Studieshttps://peerj.com/preprints/index.atom?journal=peerj&subject=1500Evolutionary Studies articles published in PeerJ PreprintsA simplified correlation between vertebrate evolution and Paleozoic geomagnetismhttps://peerj.com/preprints/28002v32019-12-312019-12-31John P Staub
Background. Despite a fifty-year failure of paleontologists to find a viable connection between geomagnetic polarity reversals and evolutionary patterns, recent paleobiology databases show that the early appearance, radiation, and diversification of Paleozoic vertebrates tends to occur during periods having frequent collapses of the Earth’s geomagnetic field. The transition time during the collapse of the Earth’s protective magnetic shield can last thousands of years, and the effects on biota are unknown. Solar and cosmic radiation, volcanism, climate alteration, low-frequency electromagnetic fields, depletion of ozone, the stripping of atmospheric oxygen, and increasing production of Carbon14 in the stratosphere have been proposed as possible causes, but previous studies have found no effects.
Methods. Using published databases, we compiled a spreadsheet showing the first appearance of 2104 genera with each genus assigned to one of 8 major taxonomic groups. From Gradstein’s Geologic Time Scale 2012, we delineated 17 Paleozoic zones with either high or low levels of polarity reversals.
Results. From our compilation, 727 Paleozoic vertebrates represent the initial radiation and diversification of individual Paleozoic vertebrate clades. After compensating for sample-size and external geologic and sampling biases, the resulting Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the 727 genera and geomagnetic polarity zones equals 0.8, a result that suggests a strong relationship exists between Paleozoic vertebrates and geomagnetism.
Discussion. The question: is this apparent connection between geomagnetism and the evolution of Paleozoic vertebrate due to environmental or biologic factors. If biologic, why are vertebrates the only biota effected? And after an indeterminate period of time, how do vertebrates become immune to the ongoing effects of polarity reversals?
Background. Despite a fifty-year failure of paleontologists to find a viable connection between geomagnetic polarity reversals and evolutionary patterns, recent paleobiology databases show that the early appearance, radiation, and diversification of Paleozoic vertebrates tends to occur during periods having frequent collapses of the Earth’s geomagnetic field. The transition time during the collapse of the Earth’s protective magnetic shield can last thousands of years, and the effects on biota are unknown. Solar and cosmic radiation, volcanism, climate alteration, low-frequency electromagnetic fields, depletion of ozone, the stripping of atmospheric oxygen, and increasing production of Carbon14 in the stratosphere have been proposed as possible causes, but previous studies have found no effects.Methods. Using published databases, we compiled a spreadsheet showing the first appearance of 2104 genera with each genus assigned to one of 8 major taxonomic groups. From Gradstein’s Geologic Time Scale 2012, we delineated 17 Paleozoic zones with either high or low levels of polarity reversals.Results. From our compilation, 727 Paleozoic vertebrates represent the initial radiation and diversification of individual Paleozoic vertebrate clades. After compensating for sample-size and external geologic and sampling biases, the resulting Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the 727 genera and geomagnetic polarity zones equals 0.8, a result that suggests a strong relationship exists between Paleozoic vertebrates and geomagnetism.Discussion. The question: is this apparent connection between geomagnetism and the evolution of Paleozoic vertebrate due to environmental or biologic factors. If biologic, why are vertebrates the only biota effected? And after an indeterminate period of time, how do vertebrates become immune to the ongoing effects of polarity reversals?An introduction to phylosymbiosishttps://peerj.com/preprints/278792019-12-112019-12-11Shen Jean LimSeth R Bordenstein
Phylosymbiosis was recently formulated to support a hypothesis-driven framework for the characterization of a new, cross-system trend in host-associated microbiomes. Defining phylosymbiosis as “microbial community relationships that recapitulate the phylogeny of their host”, we review the relevant literature and data in the last decade, emphasizing frequently used methods and regular patterns observed in analyses. Quantitative support for phylosymbiosis is provided by statistical methods evaluating higher microbiome variation between host species than within host species, topological similarities between the host phylogeny and microbiome dendrogram, and a positive association between host genetic relationships and microbiome beta diversity. Significant degrees of phylosymbiosis are prevalent, but not universal, in microbiomes of plants and animals from terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Consistent with natural selection shaping phylosymbiosis, microbiome transplant experiments demonstrate reduced host performance and/or fitness upon host-microbiome mismatches. Hybridization can also disrupt phylosymbiotic microbiomes and cause hybrid pathologies. The pervasiveness of phylosymbiosis carries several important implications for advancing knowledge of eco-evolutionary processes that impact host-microbiome interactions and future applications of precision microbiology. Important future steps will be to examine phylosymbiosis beyond bacterial communities, apply evolutionary modeling for an increasingly sophisticated understanding of phylosymbiosis, and unravel the host and microbial mechanisms that contribute to the pattern. This review serves as a gateway to experimental, conceptual, and quantitative themes of phylosymbiosis and outlines opportunities ripe for investigations from a diversity of disciplines.
Phylosymbiosis was recently formulated to support a hypothesis-driven framework for the characterization of a new, cross-system trend in host-associated microbiomes. Defining phylosymbiosis as “microbial community relationships that recapitulate the phylogeny of their host”, we review the relevant literature and data in the last decade, emphasizing frequently used methods and regular patterns observed in analyses. Quantitative support for phylosymbiosis is provided by statistical methods evaluating higher microbiome variation between host species than within host species, topological similarities between the host phylogeny and microbiome dendrogram, and a positive association between host genetic relationships and microbiome beta diversity. Significant degrees of phylosymbiosis are prevalent, but not universal, in microbiomes of plants and animals from terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Consistent with natural selection shaping phylosymbiosis, microbiome transplant experiments demonstrate reduced host performance and/or fitness upon host-microbiome mismatches. Hybridization can also disrupt phylosymbiotic microbiomes and cause hybrid pathologies. The pervasiveness of phylosymbiosis carries several important implications for advancing knowledge of eco-evolutionary processes that impact host-microbiome interactions and future applications of precision microbiology. Important future steps will be to examine phylosymbiosis beyond bacterial communities, apply evolutionary modeling for an increasingly sophisticated understanding of phylosymbiosis, and unravel the host and microbial mechanisms that contribute to the pattern. This review serves as a gateway to experimental, conceptual, and quantitative themes of phylosymbiosis and outlines opportunities ripe for investigations from a diversity of disciplines.Preferences and constraints: The value of economic games for studying human behaviorhttps://peerj.com/preprints/273552019-12-042019-12-04Anne C PisorMatthew M GervaisBenjamin G PurzyckiCody T Ross
As economic games have spread from experimental economics to other social sciences, so too have critiques of their usefulness for drawing inferences about the “real world.” What these criticisms often miss is that games can be used to reveal individuals’ private preferences in ways that observational and interview data cannot; further, economic games can be designed such that they do provide insights into real-world behavior. Here, we draw on our collective experience using economic games in field contexts to illustrate how researchers can strategically alter the framing or design of economic games to draw inferences about private-world or real-world preferences. A detailed case study from coastal Colombia provides an example of the subtleties of game design and how games can be combined fruitfully with self-report data. We close with a list of concrete recommendations for how to modify economic games to better match particular research questions and research contexts.
As economic games have spread from experimental economics to other social sciences, so too have critiques of their usefulness for drawing inferences about the “real world.” What these criticisms often miss is that games can be used to reveal individuals’ private preferences in ways that observational and interview data cannot; further, economic games can be designed such that they do provide insights into real-world behavior. Here, we draw on our collective experience using economic games in field contexts to illustrate how researchers can strategically alter the framing or design of economic games to draw inferences about private-world or real-world preferences. A detailed case study from coastal Colombia provides an example of the subtleties of game design and how games can be combined fruitfully with self-report data. We close with a list of concrete recommendations for how to modify economic games to better match particular research questions and research contexts.The châtelperronian Neandertals of Cova Foradada (Calafell, Spain) used Iberian imperial eagle phalanges for symbolic purposeshttps://peerj.com/preprints/271332019-11-022019-11-02Antonio Rodríguez-HidalgoJuan Ignacio MoralesArtur CebriáLloyd A. CourtenayJuan L. Fernández-MarchenaGala García García-ArgudoJuan MarínPalmira SaladiéMaria SotoJosé-Miguel TejeroJosep-María Fullola
Evidence for the symbolic behavior of Neandertals in the use of personal ornaments is relatively scarce. Eagle talons, which were presumably used as pendants, stand out due to their abundance. This phenomenon seems to appear concentrated in a specific area of Southwestern Europe during a span of ca. 80 Ka. Here we present the analysis of one eagle pedal phalange recovered from the Châtelperronian layer of Foradada Cave (Spain). Our research broadens the known geographical and temporal range of this aspect of Neandertal symbolic behavior, by providing the first documentation of its use among Neandertals in Iberia, as well as of its oldest use in the peninsula. The recurrent appearance of large raptor talons throughout the Neandertal timeframe, including their presence among the last Neandertal populations, raises the question of the survival of some cultural elements of the Middle Paleolithic into the transitional Middle to Upper Paleolithic assemblages.
Evidence for the symbolic behavior of Neandertals in the use of personal ornaments is relatively scarce. Eagle talons, which were presumably used as pendants, stand out due to their abundance. This phenomenon seems to appear concentrated in a specific area of Southwestern Europe during a span of ca. 80 Ka. Here we present the analysis of one eagle pedal phalange recovered from the Châtelperronian layer of Foradada Cave (Spain). Our research broadens the known geographical and temporal range of this aspect of Neandertal symbolic behavior, by providing the first documentation of its use among Neandertals in Iberia, as well as of its oldest use in the peninsula. The recurrent appearance of large raptor talons throughout the Neandertal timeframe, including their presence among the last Neandertal populations, raises the question of the survival of some cultural elements of the Middle Paleolithic into the transitional Middle to Upper Paleolithic assemblages.Endless forms of sexual selectionhttps://peerj.com/preprints/275842019-10-012019-10-01Willow R LindsayStaffan AnderssonBadreddine BererhiJacob HöglundArild JohnsenCharlotta KvarnemoErica H LederJan T LifjeldCalum E NinnesMats OlssonGeoff A ParkerTommaso PizzariAnna QvarnströmRebecca J SafranOla SvenssonScott Edwards
In recent years, the field of sexual selection has exploded, with advances in theoretical and empirical research complementing each other in exciting ways. This perspective piece is the product of a “stock-taking” workshop on sexual selection and conflict. Our aim is to identify and deliberate on outstanding questions and to stimulate discussion rather than provide a comprehensive overview of the entire field. These questions are organized into four thematic sections we deem essential to the field. First we focus on the evolution of mate choice and mating systems. Variation in mate quality can generate both competition and choice in the opposite sex, with implications for the evolution of mating systems. Limitations on mate choice may dictate the importance of direct vs. indirect benefits in mating decisions and consequently, mating systems, especially with regard to polyandry. Second, we focus on how sender and receiver mechanisms shape signal design. Mediation of honest signal content likely depends on integration of temporally variable social and physiological costs that are challenging to measure. We view the neuroethology of sensory and cognitive receiver biases as the main key to signal form and the ‘aesthetic sense’ proposed by Darwin. Since a receiver bias is sufficient to both initiate and drive ornament or armament exaggeration, without a genetically correlated or even coevolving receiver, this may be the appropriate ‘null model’ of sexual selection. Thirdly, we focus on the genetic architecture of sexually selected traits. Despite advances in modern molecular techniques, the number and identity of genes underlying performance, display and secondary sexual traits remains largely unknown. In-depth investigations into the genetic basis of sexual dimorphism in the context of long-term field studies will reveal constraints and trajectories of sexually selected trait evolution. Finally, we focus on sexual selection and conflict as drivers of speciation. Population divergence and speciation are often influenced by an interplay between sexual and natural selection. The extent to which sexual selection promotes or counteracts population divergence may vary depending on the genetic architecture of traits as well as the covariance between mating competition and local adaptation. Additionally, post-copulatory processes, such as selection against heterospecific sperm, may influence the importance of sexual selection in speciation. We propose that efforts to resolve these four themes can catalyze conceptual progress in the field of sexual selection, and we offer potential avenues of research to advance this progress.
In recent years, the field of sexual selection has exploded, with advances in theoretical and empirical research complementing each other in exciting ways. This perspective piece is the product of a “stock-taking” workshop on sexual selection and conflict. Our aim is to identify and deliberate on outstanding questions and to stimulate discussion rather than provide a comprehensive overview of the entire field. These questions are organized into four thematic sections we deem essential to the field. First we focus on the evolution of mate choice and mating systems. Variation in mate quality can generate both competition and choice in the opposite sex, with implications for the evolution of mating systems. Limitations on mate choice may dictate the importance of direct vs. indirect benefits in mating decisions and consequently, mating systems, especially with regard to polyandry. Second, we focus on how sender and receiver mechanisms shape signal design. Mediation of honest signal content likely depends on integration of temporally variable social and physiological costs that are challenging to measure. We view the neuroethology of sensory and cognitive receiver biases as the main key to signal form and the ‘aesthetic sense’ proposed by Darwin. Since a receiver bias is sufficient to both initiate and drive ornament or armament exaggeration, without a genetically correlated or even coevolving receiver, this may be the appropriate ‘null model’ of sexual selection. Thirdly, we focus on the genetic architecture of sexually selected traits. Despite advances in modern molecular techniques, the number and identity of genes underlying performance, display and secondary sexual traits remains largely unknown. In-depth investigations into the genetic basis of sexual dimorphism in the context of long-term field studies will reveal constraints and trajectories of sexually selected trait evolution. Finally, we focus on sexual selection and conflict as drivers of speciation. Population divergence and speciation are often influenced by an interplay between sexual and natural selection. The extent to which sexual selection promotes or counteracts population divergence may vary depending on the genetic architecture of traits as well as the covariance between mating competition and local adaptation. Additionally, post-copulatory processes, such as selection against heterospecific sperm, may influence the importance of sexual selection in speciation. We propose that efforts to resolve these four themes can catalyze conceptual progress in the field of sexual selection, and we offer potential avenues of research to advance this progress.What do we mean by the directions “cranial” and “caudal” on a vertebra?https://peerj.com/preprints/274372019-09-302019-09-30Michael P TaylorMatthew J Wedel
In illustrating vertebrae, it is important to consistently depict their orientation, so we can objectively assess and compare the slope of the neural arch, neural canal, or articular surfaces. However, differing vertebral shapes across taxa and across regions of the spinal column make it difficult to maintain consistency, or even define what we mean by the directions “cranial” and “caudal”. Consequently, characters such as “Neural arch slopes cranially 30° relative to the vertical” are disputable rather than objective measurements. Cranial and caudal are defined as directed along the horizontal axis, but several different notions of “horizontal” are possible:
1. Long axis of centrum is horizontal. This is appealing for elongate vertebrae such as sauropod cervicals, but is not always well defined, and is difficult to determine for craniocaudally short vertebrae such as most caudals.
2. Articular surfaces of centrum are vertical. Difficult to determine when dealing with facets that are concave or (worse) convex; and ambiguous for “keystoned” vertebrae in which the facets are not parallel.
3. Neural canal is horizontal. Anatomically informative, but difficult to determine in vertebrae that have not been fully prepared or CT-scanned, and impossible to see in lateral view. Ambiguous for vertebrae where the dorsal and ventral margins of the canal are not straight or not parallel.
4. Similarity in articulation (“horizontal” is defined as a line joining the same point on two similarly oriented copies of the same vertebra when optimally articulated). This is less intuitive than definitions 1–3, but takes the entire vertebra into account.
We advocate explicitly stating a definition and using it consistently. In most cases, definition 3 (“Neural canal is horizontal”) best reflects anatomical and developmental realities, and it is therefore preferred. Low-tech techniques can be used to determine neural canal orientation with adequate precision for most purposes.
In illustrating vertebrae, it is important to consistently depict their orientation, so we can objectively assess and compare the slope of the neural arch, neural canal, or articular surfaces. However, differing vertebral shapes across taxa and across regions of the spinal column make it difficult to maintain consistency, or even define what we mean by the directions “cranial” and “caudal”. Consequently, characters such as “Neural arch slopes cranially 30° relative to the vertical” are disputable rather than objective measurements. Cranial and caudal are defined as directed along the horizontal axis, but several different notions of “horizontal” are possible:1. Long axis of centrum is horizontal. This is appealing for elongate vertebrae such as sauropod cervicals, but is not always well defined, and is difficult to determine for craniocaudally short vertebrae such as most caudals.2. Articular surfaces of centrum are vertical. Difficult to determine when dealing with facets that are concave or (worse) convex; and ambiguous for “keystoned” vertebrae in which the facets are not parallel.3. Neural canal is horizontal. Anatomically informative, but difficult to determine in vertebrae that have not been fully prepared or CT-scanned, and impossible to see in lateral view. Ambiguous for vertebrae where the dorsal and ventral margins of the canal are not straight or not parallel.4. Similarity in articulation (“horizontal” is defined as a line joining the same point on two similarly oriented copies of the same vertebra when optimally articulated). This is less intuitive than definitions 1–3, but takes the entire vertebra into account.We advocate explicitly stating a definition and using it consistently. In most cases, definition 3 (“Neural canal is horizontal”) best reflects anatomical and developmental realities, and it is therefore preferred. Low-tech techniques can be used to determine neural canal orientation with adequate precision for most purposes.Leveraging eDNA to detect and monitor hybrid zoneshttps://peerj.com/preprints/279962019-09-302019-09-30Kathryn StewartScott A. Taylor
Hybrid zones are important windows into evolutionary processes and our understanding of their significance and prevalence in nature has expanded quickly. Yet most hybridization research has restricted temporal and spatial resolution, limiting our ability to draw broad conclusions about evolutionary and conservation related outcomes. Here, we argue rapidly advancing environmental DNA (eDNA) methodology should be adopted for studies of hybrid zones to increase temporal sampling (contemporary and historical), to refine and geographically expand sampling density, and to collect data for taxa that are difficult to directly sample. Genomic data in the environment offer the potential for near real-time biological tracking and eDNA provides broad, as yet untapped potential to address eco-evolutionary questions.
Hybrid zones are important windows into evolutionary processes and our understanding of their significance and prevalence in nature has expanded quickly. Yet most hybridization research has restricted temporal and spatial resolution, limiting our ability to draw broad conclusions about evolutionary and conservation related outcomes. Here, we argue rapidly advancing environmental DNA (eDNA) methodology should be adopted for studies of hybrid zones to increase temporal sampling (contemporary and historical), to refine and geographically expand sampling density, and to collect data for taxa that are difficult to directly sample. Genomic data in the environment offer the potential for near real-time biological tracking and eDNA provides broad, as yet untapped potential to address eco-evolutionary questions.How to make new discoveries in (human) anatomyhttps://peerj.com/preprints/279802019-09-242019-09-24Mathew John Wedel
Despite the perception that human anatomy is a completed science, new discoveries continue to be reported. Some merely expand the previously known range of human variation, but others are gross structures present in most people, which simply escaped detection until recently. An analysis of recent discoveries suggests several avenues along which new discoveries might be sought:
1. Anatomically complex regions with multiple potential distractors: the anterolateral ligament of the knee escaped widespread appreciation until 2013, probably because the human knee is a forbiddingly complex structure that is rarely dissected completely, and several superficially similar structures are present in the same area.
2. Common characters of other taxa expressed as rare variants in humans: vagus nerve fibers to the trachea and esophagus are typically incorporated into the recurrent laryngeal nerve in humans, but form a separate pararecurrent nerve in some other mammals, and rarely in humans.
3. Replaced peripheral nerves: nerve fibers from the 4th lumbar spinal level to the leg are usually incorporated into the femoral nerve, but in rare cases become part of the obturator nerve. In such cases, the posterior branch of the saphenous nerve appears to have been replaced by the obturator nerve. Similar replacements in other regions of the body are underexplored.
Most recent discoveries fall into a perceptual blind spot: medical students dissecting human cadavers have the opportunity to find these structures, but usually lack the expertise to recognize or preserve them. In contract, surgeons have the necessary expertise, but rarely have the opportunity to open people up sufficiently to identify or trace these structures.
If new discoveries remain to be made even in the well-trod ground of human anatomy, then many more surely await discovery in extant and extinct non-humans, and these guidelines may prove useful in other taxa as well.
Despite the perception that human anatomy is a completed science, new discoveries continue to be reported. Some merely expand the previously known range of human variation, but others are gross structures present in most people, which simply escaped detection until recently. An analysis of recent discoveries suggests several avenues along which new discoveries might be sought:1. Anatomically complex regions with multiple potential distractors: the anterolateral ligament of the knee escaped widespread appreciation until 2013, probably because the human knee is a forbiddingly complex structure that is rarely dissected completely, and several superficially similar structures are present in the same area.2. Common characters of other taxa expressed as rare variants in humans: vagus nerve fibers to the trachea and esophagus are typically incorporated into the recurrent laryngeal nerve in humans, but form a separate pararecurrent nerve in some other mammals, and rarely in humans.3. Replaced peripheral nerves: nerve fibers from the 4th lumbar spinal level to the leg are usually incorporated into the femoral nerve, but in rare cases become part of the obturator nerve. In such cases, the posterior branch of the saphenous nerve appears to have been replaced by the obturator nerve. Similar replacements in other regions of the body are underexplored.Most recent discoveries fall into a perceptual blind spot: medical students dissecting human cadavers have the opportunity to find these structures, but usually lack the expertise to recognize or preserve them. In contract, surgeons have the necessary expertise, but rarely have the opportunity to open people up sufficiently to identify or trace these structures.If new discoveries remain to be made even in the well-trod ground of human anatomy, then many more surely await discovery in extant and extinct non-humans, and these guidelines may prove useful in other taxa as well.A small shift in VSH-gene frequency instead of rapid parallel evolution in bees. A comment on Oddie et al. 2018https://peerj.com/preprints/279382019-09-242019-09-24Jacques J M van AlphenBartJan Fernhout
We refute a recent claim that parallel evolution in four European populations of honeybees has resulted in a not previously reported behavioural defence mechanism of the bees against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, i.e. the ability of uncapping/recapping to reduce mite reproductive success. There are no data to support this claim, while there is a more plausible alternative interpretation of the reduced mite reproduction, i.e. reduction of mites through Varroa Sensitive Hygiene. We provide evidence why the former mechanism cannot explain resistance against Varroa in honeybees and the latter is instrumental in reducing Varroa populations.
We refute a recent claim that parallel evolution in four European populations of honeybees has resulted in a not previously reported behavioural defence mechanism of the bees against the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, i.e. the ability of uncapping/recapping to reduce mite reproductive success. There are no data to support this claim, while there is a more plausible alternative interpretation of the reduced mite reproduction, i.e. reduction of mites through Varroa Sensitive Hygiene. We provide evidence why the former mechanism cannot explain resistance against Varroa in honeybees and the latter is instrumental in reducing Varroa populations.New approaches to peer review in the age of online, open-access publishinghttps://peerj.com/preprints/279722019-09-192019-09-19Melanie J Hopkins
“Electronic publishing” can mean a variety of things, but for the dissemination of scientific results, there are two major categories: 1) materials that have not gone through peer-review, such as community-database entries, presentations from conferences, and manuscripts posted on preprint servers; and 2) materials that have gone through peer-review and are subsequently posted online. In the latter case, the process of peer-review is usually managed by a body of editors associated with a journal. If a manuscript is published by such a journal, the reader can be assured that it went through the peer-review process successfully. In the last decade or so, journals have started to abandon printed issues of peer-reviewed articles and are now publishing exclusively online; there have also been a proliferation of new online-only journals. Concurrently, there has been a shift towards open-access publishing, which, while making scientific studies more broadly available, has also transferred the financial burden from the reader or subscriber to the authors and funding agencies. Lastly, there has been a shift in how manuscripts on preprint servers are viewed, and it is increasingly common in many scientific fields for authors to post a finalized manuscript to a preprint server prior to submission to a journal. This talk will describe the “Peer Community In” (PCI) Project, which is a non-profit organization that was established in response to these major shifts in scientific publishing. The PCI Project is comprised of communities of researchers working in different fields (including paleontology), who peer review and recommend research articles publicly available on preprint servers. The goal is to promote rigorous scientific study by providing an alternative to traditional avenues for peer-reviewed publishing.
“Electronic publishing” can mean a variety of things, but for the dissemination of scientific results, there are two major categories: 1) materials that have not gone through peer-review, such as community-database entries, presentations from conferences, and manuscripts posted on preprint servers; and 2) materials that have gone through peer-review and are subsequently posted online. In the latter case, the process of peer-review is usually managed by a body of editors associated with a journal. If a manuscript is published by such a journal, the reader can be assured that it went through the peer-review process successfully. In the last decade or so, journals have started to abandon printed issues of peer-reviewed articles and are now publishing exclusively online; there have also been a proliferation of new online-only journals. Concurrently, there has been a shift towards open-access publishing, which, while making scientific studies more broadly available, has also transferred the financial burden from the reader or subscriber to the authors and funding agencies. Lastly, there has been a shift in how manuscripts on preprint servers are viewed, and it is increasingly common in many scientific fields for authors to post a finalized manuscript to a preprint server prior to submission to a journal. This talk will describe the “Peer Community In” (PCI) Project, which is a non-profit organization that was established in response to these major shifts in scientific publishing. The PCI Project is comprised of communities of researchers working in different fields (including paleontology), who peer review and recommend research articles publicly available on preprint servers. The goal is to promote rigorous scientific study by providing an alternative to traditional avenues for peer-reviewed publishing.