Over the past 20 years, molecular biology has revolutionised the study of ecology, evolution, conservation and behaviour. During this time, methods for genetically characterizing individuals, populations and species have provided powerful tools to address countless fascinating questions about natural history. Furthermore, molecular methods have greatly facilitated the analysis of patterns of genetic variation in natural populations and provided an unprecedented opportunity for the empirical study of the evolutionary and demographic processes that shape them. Additionally, the use of molecular tools has become a fundamental approach for species conservation. In the sub-line of “Molecular ecology and evolutionary genetics” we are addressing a number of questions including the analysis of evolutionary relationships among higher taxa and species, speciation, hybridization and phylogeography, effects of fragmentation and landscape structure on genetic variation and gene flow patterns, patterns of geographic distribution of genetic diversity, changes in diversity through time, analysis of adaptive variation and ongoing selection processes in natural populations, study of social and mating behaviour through kinship and parentage analyses, genetic monitoring of populations, and use of molecular markers for the management of natural and captive populations.