Article
Parasitology
Daniel Grabner, Annemie Doliwa, Lidia Sworobowicz, Anna Wysocka, Alexander Weigand, Michal Grabowski, Tomasz Mamos, Bernd Sures
Summary: This study conducted a molecular survey on microsporidian diversity in Asellus aquaticus from various sites in Europe. The results showed that microsporidians were abundant and diverse in A. aquaticus, but did not exhibit obvious patterns related to host genetic lineages or geography.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vid Bakovic, Maria Luisa Martin Cerezo, Andrey Hoglund, Jesper Fogelholm, Rie Henriksen, Anders Hargeby, Dominic Wright
Summary: Organisms with wide distribution ranges that adapt to drastically different habitats over space and time are well suited for studying ecotype formation. By studying Crustacean model Asellus aquaticus, researchers found genetic regions associated with body pigmentation, antennae length, and body size in surface stream, cave, and lake ecotypes. Genomic differentiation between natural populations and genes potentially associated with different habitats demonstrate how troglomorphic adaptations can be used as a model for related ecotype formation.
Article
Zoology
Hajriz Berisha, Gergely Horvath, Ziga Fiser, Gergely Balazs, Cene Fiser, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: Populations experiencing negligible predation pressure are expected to evolve higher behavioral activity. However, when sexes have different expected benefits from high activity, the adaptive shift is expected to be sex-specific. Here, we compared movement activity of one cave (lack of predation) and three adjacent surface (high and diverse predation) populations of Asellus aquaticus, a freshwater isopod known for its independent colonization of several caves across Europe. We predicted 1) higher activity in cave than in surface populations, with 2) the difference being more pronounced in males as they are known for active mate searching behavior, while females are not. Activity was assessed both in the presence and absence of light. Our results supported both predictions: movement activity was higher in the cave than in the surface populations, particularly in males. Relaxed predation pressure in the cave-adapted population is most likely the main selective factor behind increased behavioral activity, but we also showed that the extent of increase is sex-specific.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Haeli J. Lomheim, Lizet Reyes Rodas, Lubna Mulla, Layla Freeborn, Dennis A. Sun, Sheri A. Sanders, E. Meredith Protas
Summary: This study aimed to use transcriptomic methods to investigate the genes and pathways responsible for phenotypic differences between different populations of the freshwater isopod crustacean Asellus aquaticus. Transcriptomes of the surface population and the cave population were generated using Illumina short-read assemblies and PacBio Iso-seq long-read sequences. The study found that genes involved in phototransduction and ommochrome synthesis were under-expressed in the cave samples. Genes with cave-biased and surface-biased expression were identified through allele-specific expression analysis of F-1 hybrids. RNAseq of F-2 hybrids further identified multiple genes located in genomic regions responsible for eye and pigmentation phenotypes. These transcriptomic resources will guide the prioritization of candidates for functional analysis in the future.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Lizet R. Rodas, Serban M. Sarbu, Raluca Bancila, Devon Price, Ziga Fiser, Meredith Protas
Summary: Research found that the orange eye phenotype of Asellus aquaticus is also present in surface populations from Slovenia and Romania, as well as in a cave population from Romania. This suggests that the orange eye phenotype may have originated from genetic variation in the surface populations or through hybridization of different surface lineages, rather than from de novo mutations.
EVOLUTION & DEVELOPMENT
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Elvira Lafuente, Moritz D. Luerig, Moritz Roevekamp, Blake Matthews, Claudia Buser, Christoph Vorburger, Katja Raesaenen
Summary: Organism-environment interactions are central to the emergence of biological diversity and the response of ecosystems to environmental change, involving processes at different hierarchical levels that require integrative approaches and suitable model systems. Studying Asellus aquaticus can provide insights into the influence of host-microbiome interactions on organismal and ecosystem function, the relevance of biotic interactions in ecosystem processes, and how ecological conditions and evolutionary forces facilitate phenotypic diversification.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gergely Horvath, Kata Kerekes, Viktoria Nyitrai, Gergely Balazs, Hajriz Berisha, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: Behavior plays a crucial role in colonizing new habitats, but intraspecific behavioral variation in species with populations successfully colonizing extreme habitats is less understood. By studying surface- and cave-adapted populations of water louse, we found that cave populations are less explorative and dispersed slower than surface populations. Recent cave colonists showed a trend of being faster dispersers, suggesting that individuals with higher explorativeness are likely to colonize different environments. Furthermore, we provided experimental evidence that surface water louse move more in the dark than in light.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Gergely Balazs, Anna Biro, Ziga Fiser, Cene Fiser, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: Research on the cave-dwelling Asellus aquaticus species complex in Europe revealed significant population divergence in 10 out of 17 functional morphological traits, habitat-dependent sexual dimorphism in 15 traits, and habitat-specific variation in the degree of sexual dimorphism in eight traits. Cave-related morphological changes were found to be highly trait- and function-specific, suggesting differing strengths of sexual/fecundity selection between cave and surface habitats, warranting further investigation of cave-specific adaptations.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aijuan Liao, Hanna Hartikainen, Claudia C. C. Buser
Summary: The gut microbiome of the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus plays a key role in lignocellulose degradation. Microbiomes in individuals from different habitats show distinct compositions, indicating a link between host-associated microbiomes and environmental microbes. The hindgut is enriched in microbes related to lignocellulose degradation, while the caeca is associated with taxa implicated in endosymbiotic/parasitic roles.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gabor Herczeg, Viktoria Nyitrai, Gergely Balazs, Gergely Horvath
Summary: The study found that the cave-dwelling waterlouse population maintains a preference for surface food and did not lose its food type innovativeness, even after at least 60,000 years of genetic isolation. The researchers suggest that adapting to the special cave food was a major challenge in colonising the cave, and that the cave food may have been an obstacle rather than a trigger for cave colonisation.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Gergely Horvath, Sara Sarolta Sztruhala, Gergely Balazs, Gabor Herczeg
Summary: Aggregation and sheltering are basic behaviors that can reduce the risk of predation, but both have costs. An experiment with different populations of isopods showed variations in aggregation and sheltering behaviors, with sheltering behavior explained by habitat type and aggregation behavior not explained by habitat type. The study also found population differences in light-induced behavioral plasticity, with cave individuals showing habituation and surface individuals showing sensitization over time.
BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emilie M. F. Kallenbach, Rachel R. Hurley, Amy Lusher, Nikolai Friberg
Summary: This study tested four protocols for dissolving chitinaceous organisms and found that using H2O2 followed by chitinase was a highly efficient method. Other protocols either did not digest chitin sufficiently or negatively affected the tested polymers. Recovery tests showed high recovery rates, supporting the applicability of the H2O2 and chitinase method for dissolving chitinaceous organisms.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pradeep Gautam, Kiyofumi Hamashima, Ying Chen, Yingying Zeng, Bar Makovoz, Bhav Harshad Parikh, Hsin Yee Lee, Katherine Anne Lau, Xinyi Su, Raymond C. B. Wong, Woon-Khiong Chan, Hu Li, Timothy A. Blenkinsop, Yuin-Han Loh
Summary: This study presents a multi-species single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the eye, highlighting inter-species differences in the retina and identifying putative adult stem cells in the iris tissue. The research also includes the creation of a disease map of genes involved in eye disorders across different compartments of the eye, as well as the study of conservation of regulons across vertebrates and zebrafish to identify common core factors. Additionally, the perturbation of KLF7 gene expression during retinal ganglion cell differentiation and its role in the maturation process is demonstrated.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas M. Banks, Tianfang Wang, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Gregory G. Smith, Tomer Ventura
Summary: The low expression of core RNAi genes may hinder the gene silencing response in spiny lobsters, while closely related slipper lobsters possess an efficient gene silencing mechanism. These results suggest that enhancing the expression of RNAi genes may be critical for inducing effective silencing in spiny lobsters.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guo Xia-Yu, Zhang Meng, Zhu Ming-Dong, Long Ji-Rui, Wei Zhong-Wei, Li Jian-Wu, Zhou Bin, Ai Zhi-Yong, Deng Hua-Feng
Summary: This study investigates the salt tolerance mechanism of the super hybrid rice Chaoyouqianhao and identifies the importance of the ubiquitination pathway in its salt tolerance. Several novel candidate genes are also identified. This research provides a theoretical basis for breeding new salt-tolerant rice varieties.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Alexandra C. N. Kingston, Julia D. Sigwart, Daniel R. Chappell, Daniel Speiser
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel R. Chappell, Daniel I. Speiser
Article
Biology
Rachel C. Thayer, Frances I. Allen, Nipam H. Patel
Article
Biology
Alexandra C. N. Kingston, Daniel R. Chappell, Daniel I. Speiser
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jessica A. Goodheart, Geetanjali Minsky, Mira N. Brynjegard-Bialik, Michael S. Drummond, J. David Munoz, Timothy R. Fallon, Darrin T. Schultz, Jing-Ke Weng, Elizabeth Torres, Todd H. Oakley
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Rebecca M. Varney, Daniel Speiser, Carmel McDougall, Bernard M. Degnan, Kevin M. Kocot
Summary: Molluscs biomineralize structures with variations in composition, form, and function. Chitons, a type of mollusc, are promising for studying biomineralization as they build a range of calcified structures and coat their teeth with iron. The genome of the West Indian fuzzy chiton contains genes associated with biomineralization and surprising homologs of genes from ancestors that were expected to be absent. The genome also shows features specialized for iron biomineralization, indicating a potentially diverse ancestral toolkit.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Alexandra C. N. Kingston, Daniel R. Chappell, Loann Koch, Sonke Johnsen, Daniel Speiser
Summary: Snapping shrimp are decapod crustaceans known for using cavitation bubbles as weapons. Their orbital hoods have fewer surface features and are less hydrophobic, potentially increasing adhesion and nucleation of cavitation bubbles.
ARTHROPOD STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Luke T. Havens, Alexandra C. N. Kingston, Daniel I. Speiser
Summary: The study developed an automated system for ERG experiments to improve efficiency and accessibility, demonstrating its ability to accurately assess spectral sensitivity quickly. The results showed that the system produced consistent outcomes in a short amount of time.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY A-NEUROETHOLOGY SENSORY NEURAL AND BEHAVIORAL PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Aaron F. Pomerantz, Radwanul H. Siddique, Elizabeth Cash, Yuriko Kishi, Charline Pinna, Kasia Hammar, Doris Gomez, Marianne Elias, Nipam H. Patel
Summary: The study used confocal and electron microscopy to examine the glasswing butterfly’s wing development, revealing a reduction in scale precursor cell density and differences in cytoskeletal organization during scale growth between transparent and non-transparent regions. The nanostructures on the wing membrane surface were found to consist of nipple-like structures and wax-based nanopillars, predominantly composed of long-chain n-alkanes, which play a role in generating anti-reflective properties. The findings shed light on the morphogenesis and composition of microstructures and nanostructures, offering potential for new bioinspired anti-reflective materials.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Daniel R. Chappell, Tyler M. Horan, Daniel Speiser
Summary: Animals with distributed visual systems consolidate visual information early in their sensory-motor pathways, exhibiting the ability to detect visual cues but lacking spatial vision. Through studying the bay scallop Argopecten irradians, researchers found that they possess both spatial resolution and spatial vision, indicating neural representations of their visual surroundings in their sensory-motor circuits.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Dennis A. Sun, Jessen Bredeson, Heather S. Bruce, Nipam H. Patel
Summary: This study presents new functional genomic resources for Parhyale hawaiensis, an emerging research organism, using Omni-ATAC-seq and RNA-seq techniques to explore gene regulatory evolution. By identifying accessible chromatin, predicting nucleosome positioning, inferring transcription factor binding, and other analyses, the developmental regulatory mechanisms of Parhyale can be further understood.
Article
Biology
Alison R. Irwin, Suzanne T. Williams, Daniel Speiser, Nicholas W. Roberts
Summary: Species within the Strombidae family have well-developed camera-type eyes, showing sensitivity to spatial resolution and contrast. Conch snails may use spatial vision for early predator detection. An integration of behavioral and morphological approaches in animal vision studies is beneficial, as supported by anatomical data and behavioral measures.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Jennifer B. McCarthy-Taylor, Sophia R. Kelly, Annalisa M. VanHook, Henrique Marques-Souza, Julia M. Serano, Nipam H. Patel
Summary: The study shows that Abd-B gene is expressed in all abdominal segments of Artemia, but later becomes restricted to two genital segments and T11 appendages. This suggests that Abd-B plays a role in specifying abdominal segment identity in crustaceans and implies a common evolutionary origin for the crustacean abdomen.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Daniel R. Chappell, Daniel I. Speiser
Summary: The marine mollusc Acanthopleura granulata has a distributed visual array composed of small image-forming eyes, and it uses a unique processing scheme to extract and process spatial and polarization information.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra C. N. Kingston, Sarah A. Woodin, David S. Wethey, Daniel Speiser
Summary: Snapping shrimp generate shock waves by closing their snapping claws rapidly, but their orbital hoods can dampen these shock waves and protect them.