Article
Biology
Sandra A. Binning, Meggan E. Craft, Marlene Zuk, Allison K. Shaw
Summary: This review investigates the interactions between migration and parasite infection and provides a roadmap for future research. It synthesizes existing conceptual frameworks, highlights challenges in empirical studies and integrating theoretical perspectives, and offers guidance to overcome these challenges.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tara E. Stewart Merrill, Dana M. Calhoun, Pieter T. J. Johnson
Summary: Understanding the capacity of different species to support parasite transmission, known as "competence", is crucial for modeling transmission and testing diversity-disease theory. However, the factors that generate competence and drive its variation are not well understood. This study developed novel approaches to systematically quantify competence for a multi-host, multi-parasite community. The findings suggest that variation in competence is mainly driven by differences in barrier resistance and pre-transmission mortality, highlighting the importance of host resistance and parasite pathogenicity. Host species identity was found to be a strong predictor of competence variation. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of infection and epidemiological patterns.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Tserang Donko Mipam, Fei Chen, Liming Tian, Pei Zhang, Mengjiao Huang, Lifan Chen, Xingxing Wang, Peng Zhang, Ziyuan Lin, Xiang Liu
Summary: This study examined the effects of yak grazing on foliar fungal diseases in an alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that grazing influenced the prevalence of these diseases through the evenness and composition of the plant community. This study highlights the importance of considering host plant community characteristics in disease load prediction frameworks.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Eric Payne, David L. Sinn, Orr Spiegel, Michael G. Gardner, Andrew Sih
Summary: This study investigated the interaction between host behavior and parasite infection through an experimental tick infestation of wild sleepy lizards. The results showed that aggression and boldness interacted with infestation, with unaggressive lizards showing reduced infestation success with higher boldness, and aggressive individuals showing the opposite. Additionally, increased tick infestation did not affect post-infestation aggression but tended to increase boldness. These findings highlight the potential for feedbacks between parasites and multi-dimensional host behaviors.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kristian Bell, Tim S. Doherty, Tricia Wevill, Don A. Driscoll
Summary: Maintaining ecosystem processes within patches of remnant vegetation is critical for minimizing biodiversity loss. In agricultural landscapes, foundation plant species that interact with multiple other species are a conservation priority. A study in Australia showed that reintroducing controlled burns and removing competitors can restore a foundation plant species in degraded agricultural areas.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Mayank Kohli, Jeremiah A. Henning, Elizabeth T. Borer, Linda Kinkel, Eric W. Seabloom
Summary: Plant diversity and plant-consumer/pathogen interactions influence ecosystem carbon fluxes. Experimental removal of foliar fungi increased GPP and NEE, especially in low plant diversity scenarios. The effect disappeared when soil fungi and arthropods were also removed.
Article
Ecology
Carmen K. Blubaugh, Cami R. Jones, Chloe Josefson, Glen A. Scoles, William E. Snyder, Jeb P. Owen
Summary: Diet composition has an impact on animals' ability to resist parasites and recover from stress. This study focused on how plant/prey mixing in diets influenced resistance and body condition in omnivorous deer mice infested with Rocky Mountain wood ticks. The findings suggest that a diverse nutritional landscape is crucial for omnivores to withstand infection and immune stressors in their environments.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hyun Jun Park, Bo Eun Nam, Sun Young Moon, Sang-Gyu Kim, Youngsung Joo, Jae Geun Kim
Summary: The study shows that elevated CO2 and increased watering frequency have impacts on the growth and resistance responses of plants and herbivores. Specifically, elevated CO2 levels lead to increased plant resistance and decreased growth performance of herbivores.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Biology
Maxwell J. Farrell, Andrew W. Park, Clayton E. Cressler, Tad Dallas, Shan Huang, Nicole Mideo, Ignacio Morales-Castilla, T. Jonathan Davies, Patrick Stephens
Summary: Research indicates that host extinction may significantly impact the host specificity of parasites, leading to changes in the evolutionary patterns of host-parasite interactions. Through examples from historical extinctions, contemporary endangerment, and future biodiversity loss, a better understanding of the impact of host extinction on current host-parasite interactions can be gained.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Xiaolin Sui, Kaiyun Guan, Yan Chen, Ruijuan Xue, Airong Li
Summary: This study investigated the influence of mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on the growth and photosynthesis of leguminous and gramineous plants in the presence of a root hemiparasitic plant. The results showed that AM colonization significantly improved the growth and photosynthetic capacity of parasitized leguminous plants, while slightly improving the shoot biomass of grass hosts by suppressing haustoria formation and the growth of the root hemiparasitic plant.
Review
Microbiology
Feng Kong, Li Yang
Summary: As sessile organisms, plants have evolved physical barriers, chemical defenses, and inducible immunity to defend against pathogens. Pathogens, on the other hand, use various strategies to colonize and cause diseases. This review focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of pathogen-induced changes in plant development and how pathogens shape plant development to increase their virulence and cause diseases. Research in this area may provide novel insights into plant disease control.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Camila Rocca, Pedro Daleo, Jesus Nunez, Brian R. Silliman, Oscar Iribarne, Christine Angelini, Juan Alberti
Summary: This study found that an extreme climate event can intensify consumer control of salt marsh grass structure, resulting in the range contraction of critical coastal habitats. This supports the idea that future climate scenario models need to integrate the indirect effects on ecosystem-regulating food web interactions.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yun Wu, Spencer C. H. Barrett, Xuyu Duan, Jie Zhang, Yongpeng Cha, Chengyi Tu, Qingjun Li
Summary: This study quantified the relationships between plant-antagonistic interactions and natural selection, and found evidence of herbivore-mediated selection on floral traits. The opportunity for selection and strength of herbivore-mediated selection varied nonlinearly with the intensity of plant-herbivore interactions among populations. These results contribute to understanding how plant-antagonistic interactions shape spatial variation in selection on floral traits and geographic variation in angiosperm flowers.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Indrani Sarkar, Prateek Dey, Saurabh Singh Rathore, Gyan Dev Singh, Ram Pratap Singh
Summary: Neisseria, a potential clinically important genus, contains both pathogenic and commensal strains. Through bioinformatics analysis, the co-evolution of Neisseria genomes with the human host has been revealed, along with the differential evolution of resistomes and secretomes among pathogenic and commensal strains.
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Megan A. Hahn, Agnes Piecyk, Fatima Jorge, Robert Cerrato, Martin Kalbe, Nolwenn M. Dheilly
Summary: This study demonstrates that helminths have an impact on the gut microbiome of their host. The microbiome of stickleback fish varies depending on ecoevolutionary variables, such as the genotype of the host and parasite, and the composition of the parasite's microbiome. The study also reveals that the association between the microbiome and immune gene expression increases in infected individuals and varies with parasite genotype. Additionally, it shows that the parasite's microbiome is distinct from its host and affects the host's immune response to infection.
Article
Zoology
Kees van Oers, Bernice Sepers, William Sies, Fleur Gawehns, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Veronika N. Laine
INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Entrambasaguas, Miriam Ruocco, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Gabriele Procaccini, Lazaro Marin-Guirao
Summary: This study explores the relationship between gene body DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in two marine plants, suggesting that genes with low DNA methylation levels exhibit greater flexibility and plasticity in expression. Additionally, the empirical determination of global DNA methylation patterns indicates a relationship between methylation levels and the plants' origin latitude and life history.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Kimberley D. Lemmen, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Steven A. J. Declerck
Summary: The study found that even in the absence of initial genetic diversity and recombination, small populations can rapidly exhibit adaptive genetic changes, indicating that de novo genetic variation or alternative sources of phenotypic variation may help in the establishment and persistence of low-diversity populations.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fleur Gawehns, Maarten Postuma, Morgane van Antro, Adam Nunn, Bernice Sepers, Samar Fatma, Thomas P. van Gurp, Niels C. A. M. Wagemaker, A. Christa Mateman, Slavica Milanovic-Ivanovic, Ivo Grosse, Kees van Oers, Philippine Vergeer, Koen J. F. Verhoeven
Summary: In this study, a new laboratory protocol and bioinformatics pipeline were developed for cytosine methylation analysis in nonmodel species. The method is cost- and time-efficient, user-friendly, and has been shown to perform well based on evaluation against baseline data sets.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Nelia Luviano, Marie Lopez, Fleur Gawehns, Cristian Chaparro, Paola B. Arimondo, Slavica Ivanovic, Patrice David, Koen Verhoeven, Celine Cosseau, Christoph Grunau
Summary: The study introduces a new DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, Flv1, to induce random changes in 5mC levels in certain mollusk species, showing significant reduction in 5mC levels and resulting in variability in the methylome, thereby affecting phenotypic traits and demonstrating multi-generational effects.
EPIGENETICS & CHROMATIN
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jeannie M. Mounger, Isolde van Riemsdijk, M. Teresa Boquete, Cornelis A. M. Wagemaker, Samar Fatma, Marta H. Robertson, Sandy A. Voors, Jenna Oberstaller, Fleur Gawehns, Torrance C. Hanley, Ivo Grosse, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Erik E. Sotka, Catherine A. Gehring, A. Randall Hughes, David B. Lewis, Marc W. Schmid, Christina L. Richards
Summary: By analyzing genetic and epigenetic variation in natural populations of Spartina alterniflora, researchers found that both source population and habitat played a role in explaining genetic and epigenetic diversity, and that DNA methylation distinctly contributed to plant responses in natural populations.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Haymanti Saha, Nikolaos Kaloterakis, Jeffrey A. Harvey, Wim H. Van der Putten, Arjen Biere
Summary: Beneficial soil microbes play a crucial role in enhancing plant growth and defense. However, little is known about the impact of light quality on this interaction. This study reveals that the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) on plant growth and defense are context-dependent and may have adverse effects under shading conditions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anne Aagaard, Shenglin Liu, Tom Tregenza, Marie Braad Lund, Andreas Schramm, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Jesper Bechsgaard, Trine Bilde
Summary: Understanding the role of genetic and nongenetic variants in shaping phenotypic responses to local environments is crucial for our understanding of evolutionary potential. By conducting environmental association studies, we found strong associations between genetic and nongenetic variation and environmental factors. Genetic variants were strongly correlated with average temperature, while DNA methylation variation was correlated with multiple climate parameters. Microbiome composition was mainly associated with precipitation-related climatic factors.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Morgane Van Antro, Stella Prelovsek, Slavica Ivanovic, Fleur Gawehns, Niels C. A. M. Wagemaker, Mohamed Mysara, Nele Horemans, Philippine Vergeer, Koen J. F. Verhoeven
Summary: Environmentally induced DNA methylation variants can persist over multiple generations in plants, potentially affecting gene expression and phenotypes.
Article
Ecology
Bridgett M. M. von Holdt, Rebecca Y. Y. Kartzinel, Kees van Oers, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Jenny Q. Q. Ouyang
Summary: This study examines the contribution of DNA methylation to early-life phenotypic variation. The research finds higher methylation frequencies in urban house wren offspring at hatching and observes age-related patterns in offspring methylation. Additionally, differential methylation analyses show that cellular respiration genes and behavioral/metabolism genes are differentially methylated in broods of different origins and rearing environments, respectively. Lastly, hyper-methylation of a single gene (CNTNAP2) is associated with decreased glucocorticoid levels and the rearing environment. These findings suggest that DNA methylation may play a role in individuals' adjustment to novel environments during their lifespan.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Paola Rallo, S. Emilia Hannula, Freddy C. ten Hooven, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Jan Kammenga, Wim H. van der Putten
Summary: This study investigates plant-soil feedbacks (PSFs) between and within grass species. The results show differences in PSF effects between grass species, but limited variation within species. Additionally, potential microbial candidates that drive the observed PSF effects are identified.
Article
Microbiology
Olaf Tyc, Purva Kulkarni, Adam Ossowicki, Vittorio Tracanna, Marnix H. Medema, Peter van Baarlen, W. F. J. van IJcken, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Paolina Garbeva
Summary: Microbial community analysis has shown that bacteria with cell sizes of about 0.1 μm are an important component of aquatic environments, but it is unknown if they exist in terrestrial environments like soil. In this study, we isolated soil bacteria that passed through a 0.1 μm filter and identified one isolate as Hylemonella gracilis. Coculture assays demonstrated that H. gracilis grows better when interacting with other soil bacteria, and transcriptomics and metabolomics revealed that H. gracilis can induce gene expression, behavior, and biochemistry changes in other bacteria without direct contact. Our findings suggest the presence of small bacteria in soil that can pass through 0.1 μm filters and contribute to the symbiosis of soil bacterial communities.
Article
Ecology
Veronica Noe Ibanez, Morgane van Antro, Cristian Pena-Ponton, Slavica Milanovic-Ivanovic, Cornelis A. M. Wagemaker, Fleur Gawehns, Koen J. F. Verhoeven
Summary: DNA methylation in plant genomes can provide genealogical information at short time scales, but its reliability at micro-evolutionary time scales is unclear due to meta-stability and environmental effects. In a study of common dandelion, differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) were induced by light treatment, with genetic divergence between accessions correlating strongly with overall methylation profiles. However, environmental effects may partly dilute the genealogical signal in CG context. Methylation information can be used to reconstruct micro-evolutionary genealogy in plants lacking genetic variation.
JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bernice Sepers, Rebecca Shuhua Chen, Michelle Memelink, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Kees van Oers
Summary: As environmental fluctuations become more frequent, organisms need to adapt quickly to changes caused by humans, climate, and ecology. Epigenetic modifications, specifically DNA methylation, play a role in shaping a organism's phenotypic responses during development. While studies have shown that environmentally induced DNA methylation changes occur, we have limited understanding of the proportion of the epigenome affected by environmental factors compared to genetic variation. In this study, using a partial cross-foster design in a great tit population, we found that common origin explained the variance in DNA methylation in 8,315 CpG sites while common rearing environment only explained 101 sites. Furthermore, we identified quantitative trait loci for the CpG sites related to brood origin, with 754 cis and 4,202 trans methylation quantitative trait loci involving 24% of the CpG sites. These findings suggest that the influence of environmentally induced methylation marks, independent of genotype, is limited and that genetic factors play a larger role in determining DNA methylation variation early in life.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Yadollah Shahryary, Aikaterini Symeonidi, Rashmi R. Hazarika, Johanna Denkena, Talha Mubeen, Brigitte Hofmeister, Thomas van Gurp, Maria Colome-Tatch, Koen J. F. Verhoeven, Gerald Tuskan, Robert J. Schmitz, Frank Johannes
