Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Benjamin Larue, Fanie Pelletier, Steeve D. Cote, Sandra Hamel, Marco Festa-Bianchet
Summary: Life-history theory predicts energy allocation trade-offs between traits when resources are limited. This study evaluated growth versus reproduction trade-offs in female bighorn sheep and mountain goats, finding that growth traits can accurately predict reproductive history. The predictive models based on annual growth could assist conservation and management in a broad range of species.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Hongliang Yin, Yiwei Cai, Guiying Li, Wanjun Wang, Po Keung Wong, Taicheng An
Summary: After entering water environments, antibiotic resistance bacteria and genes undergo various transformations, possibly leading to stressed or non-stressed states, resulting in tolerance or persistence phenotypes that make the antibiotic resistance problem more challenging and complex.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Nana Nguefang Laure, Juhee Ahn
Summary: This study evaluates the trade-offs between phage resistance and antibiotic resistance in Salmonella Typhimurium exposed to phage PBST10 and antibiotics. The results show that the presence of phages increases the susceptibility of STKCCM to ampicillin, while combination treatments of phages and antibiotics result in greater fitness costs. In addition, there is an association between tolC and antibiotic susceptibility.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Jules Dezeure, Alice Baniel, Alecia Carter, Guy Cowlishaw, Bernard Godelle, Elise Huchard
Summary: This study on wild chacma baboons identifies two optimal birth timings in their annual cycle, maximizing offspring survival or minimizing maternal interbirth intervals. Observed births are most frequent between these optima, suggesting an adaptive trade-off between current and future reproduction.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Jerry F. Husak, Simon P. Lailvaux
Summary: Phenotypic trade-offs are common in nature, but the mechanisms driving them are not well understood. Research shows that all animals have evolved mechanisms to acquire oxygen and contract muscle, sometimes at the expense of other activities or traits. Convergent pathways have also evolved to deal with environmental challenges. Whole-animal performance traits, such as locomotion, are important for survival but can come at a cost to other aspects of the phenotype. Understanding the mechanisms behind these trade-offs will help explain phenotypic variation at an evolutionary scale.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Dustin J. Marshall, Tim Connallon
Summary: Most marine organisms have complex life histories, where the individual stages of a life cycle are often morphologically and ecologically distinct. The degree to which genetic and phenotypic links among stages hamper adaptation in any one stage remains unclear. This study explores the impact of carry-over effects and genetic links on fitness trade-offs between different life-history stages, and finds that evolutionary conflicts among stages can be ameliorated by carry-over effects. The results suggest that organisms with complex life histories may face greater constraints in adapting to global change.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Robert Beardmore, Mark Hewlett, Rafael Pena-Miller, Ivana Gudelj, Justin R. Meyer
Summary: Host-parasite coevolution can drive genetic diversity by trading off traits used in arms races and traits used in resource competition. In a laboratory experiment with bacteriophage lambda and Escherichia coli, multiple positive trait correlations were found but few canonical trade-offs were observed. The study suggests that coevolution can promote genetic diversity in more complex ways than previously thought.
AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jian Ji, Shang Wu, Lina Sheng, Jiadi Sun, Yongli Ye, Yiyun Zhang, Yinzhi Zhang, Yajun Gong, Jianzhong Zhou, Xiulan Sun
Summary: The study utilized the LC-MS/MS metabolomics platform to analyze the metabolic profiles of 138 strains of Salmonella, and found that these profiles were related to the serotypes, sources, processing stages, and antibiotic resistance patterns of the bacteria. Specifically, Salmonella Derby with drug resistance to ceftriaxone exhibited a different metabolic status with changes in glutathione biosynthesis. Exogenous glutathione oxidized or citrulline, but not glutathione reduced, restored the susceptibility of multidrug-resistant Salmonella Derby to ceftriaxone. This study establishes a strategy based on functional metabolomics to manage the survival of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Article
Forestry
Jianghuan Qin, Chunyu Fan, Yan Geng, Chunyu Zhang, Xiuhai Zhao, Lushuang Gao
Summary: This study examines the demographic trade-offs in forest dynamics, particularly the impacts of conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) on growth and survival. The results suggest that density dependence and environmental filtering are key factors influencing individual growth-survival trade-offs. Additionally, CNDD plays a role in shaping these trade-offs at the community level. Shade-tolerance, mycorrhizal type, and life-stage of forest species respond differently to CNDD, providing insights into different community assembly mechanisms and their interactions.
Article
Ecology
Felicie Dhellemmes, Jean-Sebastien Finger, Matthew J. Smukall, Samuel H. Gruber, Tristan L. Guttridge, Kate L. Laskowski, Jens Krause
Summary: The study revealed that the association between personality and life history is favored in some ecological contexts but not in others. In a predator-poor environment, more explorative sharks in semi-captivity were found to take more risks in the wild and grew faster. While in a predator-rich environment, despite selection for fast growth, no link was found between exploration personality and the growth-mortality trade-off.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Michael J. Bottery
Summary: Plasmids play a significant role in horizontal gene transfer among prokaryotes, facilitating the exchange of ecologically important traits between distantly related bacterial taxa. Recent studies have shown that the community ecology, including bacterial diversity and interspecies interactions, can influence the dynamics of conjugative plasmid transfer and persistence within microbial communities. The fate of plasmids within communities is determined by the collective factors imposed by the community, rather than individual hosts.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Sarah Senecal, Alexia Mouchet, Niels J. Dingemanse
Summary: The study reveals that multibroodedness is a common breeding strategy in various taxa, but not all individuals choose to be multibrooded, indicating a trade-off. Factors influencing bird's multibroodedness include lay date, breeding density, investment in first clutches, and exploration behavior types. The research contributes to understanding life-history evolution in the wild by studying the mechanisms shaping multibroodedness within seasons.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Dong Ding, Bin Wang, Xiaoan Zhang, Junxi Zhang, Huanhuan Zhang, Xinxin Liu, Zhan Gao, Zengli Yu
Summary: Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to human health, and reducing the spread and burden of antibiotic resistance requires implementing control strategies.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rosario Sierra-de-Grado, Valentin Pando, Jordi Voltas, Rafael Zas, Juan Majada, Jose Climent
Summary: A study on maritime pine demonstrated that straight- and crooked-stemmed provenances showed contrasting responses to mechanical stress, indicating potential intraspecific divergence in adaptive phenotypic plasticity.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Grazyna Majkowska-Skrobek, Pawel Markwitz, Ewelina Sosnowska, Cedric Lood, Rob Lavigne, Zuzanna Drulis-Kawa
Summary: The study found that resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae to bacteriophages mainly comes from modifications to the receptor, which can be manifested through mutations or changes in exopolysaccharides. The loss or modification of capsules in K. pneumoniae does not significantly affect its fitness or antibiotic resistance, but driving bacteria to expel multidrug resistance clusters.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Respiratory System
Miguel Moreno-Molina, Inaki Comas, Victoria Furio
ARCHIVOS DE BRONCONEUMOLOGIA
(2019)
Article
Ecology
Qiu E. Yang, Craig MacLean, Andrei Papkou, Manon Pritchard, Lydia Powell, David Thomas, Diego O. Andrey, Mei Li, Brad Spiller, Wang Yang, Timothy R. Walsh
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helen K. Alexander, R. Craig MacLean
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrei Papkou, Jessica Hedge, Natalia Kapel, Bernadette Young, R. Craig MacLean
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Rachel M. Wheatley, R. Craig MacLean
Summary: CRISPR-Cas systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhibit the acquisition of foreign DNA, particularly targeting integrative conjugative elements and plasmids involved in horizontal gene transfer. The presence of active CRISPR-Cas systems results in lower abundance of prophage and ICE, suggesting an important constraint on horizontal gene transfer in this opportunistic pathogen.
Review
Microbiology
Jeronimo Rodriguez-Beltran, Javier DelaFuente, Ricardo Leon-Sampedro, R. Craig MacLean, Alvaro San Millan
Summary: Plasmids play a vital role in bacterial ecology and evolution by mobilizing accessory genes through horizontal gene transfer. Recent studies show that plasmids, kept at multiple copies per cell, create islands of polyploidy in bacterial genomes, leading to evolution governed by different rules than those affecting chromosomal genes. Plasmids may accelerate bacterial evolution by promoting the evolution of plasmid-encoded genes and enhancing the adaptation of their host chromosomes.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel Wheatley, Julio Diaz Caballero, Natalia Kapel, Fien H. R. de Winter, Pramod Jangir, Angus Quinn, Ester del Barrio-Tofino, Carla Lopez-Causape, Jessica Hedge, Gabriel Torrens, Thomas Van der Schalk, Basil Britto Xavier, Felipe Fernandez-Cuenca, Angel Arenzana, Claudia Recanatini, Leen Timbermont, Frangiscos Sifakis, Alexey Ruzin, Omar Ali, Christine Lammens, Herman Goossens, Jan Kluytmans, Samir Kumar-Singh, Antonio Oliver, Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar, Craig MacLean
Summary: This study reveals how host immunity and natural selection interact to drive the rapid changes in antibiotic resistance during infection. The development and decrease of resistant strains post-treatment result in dynamic changes in antibiotic resistance during the infection process.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Jacqueline L. Gill, Jessica Hedge, Daniel J. Wilson, R. Craig MacLean
Summary: Our research shows that the MRSA strain Staphylococcus aureus ST239 originated from a large-scale recombination between ST8 and ST30 before 1945. Despite being primarily influenced by purifying selection, ST239 has undergone parallel evolution in genes related to antibiotic resistance and virulence. However, ST239 exhibits lower competitive fitness compared to other strains of S. aureus, which may explain its rapid decline in prevalence worldwide.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Suzanne Humphrey, Alvaro San Millan, Macarena Toll-Riera, John Connolly, Alejandra Flor-Duro, John Chen, Carles Ubeda, R. Craig MacLean, Jose R. Penades
Summary: Plasmids can be transferred via generalised transduction by phages and PICIs, enhancing packaging efficiency and exerting selective pressures on plasmids through their capsid capacity. This highlights the important roles of transducing agents in bacterial plasmid evolution and potential transmission of antimicrobial resistance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Victoria Furio, Miguel Moreno-Molina, Alvaro Chiner-Oms, Luis M. Villamayor, Manuela Torres-Puente, Inaki Comas
Summary: Victoria Furio et al. used functional genomics and evolutionary analyses to study antibiotic resistance in tuberculosis, identifying novel candidate genes with resistance mutations in clinical strains and uncovering the mechanisms underlying drug resistance.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Pramod K. Jangir, Qiue Yang, Liam P. Shaw, Julio Diaz Caballero, Lois Ogunlana, Rachel Wheatley, Timothy Walsh, R. Craig MacLean
Summary: This study reveals the impact of genetic diversity on the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens. It shows that a plasmid carrying the MCR-1 gene enhances the ability of Escherichia coli to evolve high-level colistin resistance by acquiring mutations in an essential chromosomal gene called IpxC. The study also finds that IpxC polymorphisms are common in pathogenic E. coli, including those carrying the MCR-1 gene, highlighting the clinical relevance of this interaction. Furthermore, the high level of IpxC diversity in pathogenic E. coli from regions with no history of MCR-1 acquisition suggests that pre-existing IpxC polymorphisms potentiated the evolution of high-level colistin resistance by MCR-1 acquisition.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liam P. Shaw, Eduardo P. C. Rocha, R. Craig MacLean
Summary: Restriction-modification systems (R-M systems) are important defense systems in bacteria, and their distribution and impact on plasmid evolution and host range have been studied. It was found that plasmid genes are more likely to avoid R-M targets than core genes, and this avoidance is stronger in smaller plasmids with broader host ranges. Two evolutionary strategies for plasmids were identified: small plasmids adapt through sequence composition, while large plasmids adapt through carrying additional genes for protection. These findings provide evidence of the importance of R-M systems as barriers to plasmid transfer.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Celia Souque, Jose A. Escudero, R. Craig MacLean
Summary: Integrons can accelerate the evolution of antibiotic resistance by reshuffling resistance cassettes, but the flexibility of integrons also leads to potential off-target effects on the genome, which can have important evolutionary consequences.
Article
Ecology
Lois Ogunlana, Divjot Kaur, Liam P. Shaw, Pramod Jangir, Timothy Walsh, Stephan Uphoff, R. C. MacLean
Summary: Antibiotic resistance can be maintained in the absence of continual antibiotic exposure through regulatory evolution and plasmid transfer. By fine-tuning the expression of resistance genes and transferring them across different strains, bacteria can reduce the fitness costs associated with resistance and stabilize resistance at the species level, even when antibiotic consumption is reduced.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Scott MacDonald Black, Craig Maclean, Pauline Hall Barrientos, Konstantinos Ritos, Asimina Kazakidi
Summary: This study presents a novel approach to generate high-contrast anatomical images from retrospective 4D Flow-MRI data. These images were segmented and reconstructed to create 3D arterial models for computational fluid dynamics. Validation results showed no significant differences in vessel properties and hemodynamics compared to the standard imaging datasets and intravenous contrast.
CARDIOVASCULAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)