Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41646641›Full record

ArticleEvolution letters2026

How relaxed preferences facilitate the evolution of novel animal signals.

Gabrielle T Welsh, James H Gallagher, Mary L Westwood, Vanessa Leon-Gamez, Lauren Bitner, Norman Lee, Robin M Tinghitella

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Evolution letters, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Gabrielle T WelshDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, United States.
James H GallagherDepartment of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5705-1325
Mary L WestwoodDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, United States.
Vanessa Leon-GamezDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, United States.
Lauren BitnerDepartment of Biology, St. Olaf College, Northfield, United States.
Norman LeeDepartment of Biology, St. Olaf College, Northfield, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6198-710X
Robin M TinghitellaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0049-5539

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The evolution of novel animal signals is critical to the generation of biodiversity. Here, we explore how new sexual signals become established. This process is challenging to explain because if receiver preferences are coupled with existing signals, then most receivers should discriminate against new signals. We investigated an underappreciated hypothesis: relaxed receiver preferences facilitate novel signal evolution by allowing new signals to establish a foothold. Further, we probed the mechanistic underpinnings of relaxed preferences by combining field-based and common garden approaches, allowing us to investigate evolution and plasticity as mechanisms. We capitalized on the Pacific field cricket,

Indexed as

communicationmate choiceplasticityrapid evolutionsexual selection

Identifiers

PMID41646641
PMCPMC12870860

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.