Article
Biology
Paul B. Rainey
Summary: This article argues that future evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs) involving symbioses between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) are feasible, while transitions to eusociality seem unlikely. The key is to ensure fitness-affecting interactions between humans and AI devices are inherited by offspring, which can be achieved through algorithm transfer and societal structures. The article also raises concerns about the potential for malevolent manipulation.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna Marie Prentiss
Summary: The study of cultural evolution now encompasses multiple theoretical frameworks, with diverse perspectives influenced by Darwinian evolution. Modern Synthesis and Extended Evolutionary Synthesis have differing impacts in the field. Theoretical diversity is essential for addressing complex research questions in archaeology, and concepts associated with the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis may offer unique insights into the cultural evolutionary process.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Sieber, Arne Traulsen, Hinrich Schulenburg, Angela E. Douglas
Summary: The prevalence of specific microbes in a host population can increase even when they do not provide specific benefits to the host, especially when there is overlap in their lifecycles and they share dispersal routes. This suggests that host enrichment alone is not a reliable indicator of beneficial host-microbe interactions, but increased time spent associated with a host can lead to new selection conditions, potentially favoring microbial adaptations towards a host-associated lifestyle and laying the foundation for the evolution of mutually beneficial coevolved symbioses.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Biology
Thomas J. Travers-Cook, Jukka Jokela, Claudia C. Buser
Summary: Ecological interactions influence evolutionary dynamics by selecting upon fitness variation within species. Antagonistic interactions often promote genetic and species diversity, despite the inherently suppressive effect they can have on the species experiencing them. In this review, the authors discuss how certain single-celled and dimorphic fungi have evolved allelopathic killer phenotypes that engage in antagonistic interactions, and explore the evolutionary pathways, functions, and consequences of killer phenotypes. They highlight that killer phenotypes are powerful models for studying allelopathic antagonism, but their evolutionary ecology remains largely unknown. The authors discuss what is known and what remains to be ascertained about killer phenotype ecology and evolution.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Yu Uchiumi, Masato Sato, Akira Sasaki
Summary: Mutualism is more vulnerable to co-extinction due to evolutionary causes, compared to parasitism. Additionally, observed evolutionary transitions from mutualism to parasitism are rare.
Article
Ecology
Carlos A. Aguilar-Trigueros, Franz-Sebastian Krah, William K. Cornwell, Amy E. Zanne, Nerea Abrego, Ian C. Anderson, Carrie J. Andrew, Petr Baldrian, Claus Baessler, Andrew Bissett, V. Bala Chaudhary, Baodong Chen, Yongliang Chen, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Coline Deveautour, Eleonora Egidi, Habacuc Flores-Moreno, Jacob Golan, Jacob Heilmann-Clausen, Stefan Hempel, Yajun Hu, Havard Kauserud, Stephanie N. Kivlin, Petr Kohout, Daniel R. Lammel, Fernando T. Maestre, Anne Pringle, Jenna Purhonen, Brajesh K. Singh, Stavros D. Veresoglou, Tomas Vetrovsky, Haiyang Zhang, Matthias C. Rillig, Jeff R. Powell
Summary: Despite the ubiquity of host-fungal symbiotic interactions, the effects of symbiosis on the ecology and evolution of fungal spores involved in dispersal and colonization have been neglected. Through a spore morphology database, we found that symbiotic status correlated with changes in spore size, but this effect varied among different fungal phyla. Symbiosis explained more variation in spore size distribution than climatic variables, and spores of plant-associated fungi have more restricted dispersal potential compared to free-living fungi. Our study advances life-history theory by highlighting the role of symbiosis in shaping reproductive and dispersal strategies among living organisms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jordan A. Gault, Bastian Bentlage, Danwei Huang, Alexander M. Kerr
Summary: Most lineages of reef-building corals are highly stable for their photosymbiosis trait, with almost no instances of loss, but in some clades this trait is more labile. This provides a framework for further studies on the factors shaping the evolutionary fate of photosymbiosis in reef-building corals.
Article
Anthropology
John K. Murray, Robert Acio Benitez, Michael J. O'Brien
Summary: Recent developments in evolutionary biology have led to a call for an extension of standard evolutionary theory, but skeptics argue that it may not be necessary. For the study of human origins, an extended theoretical toolkit could be useful but not necessarily required.
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Anton E. Shikov, Iuliia A. Savina, Anton A. Nizhnikov, Kirill S. Antonets
Summary: Bacterial organisms have undergone homologous recombination and horizontal gene transfer multiple times, resulting in enhanced adaptation to new environments, specialization, the emergence of new species, and changes in virulence. Analysis of genomic studies of bacterial species in the past 30 years reveals that these genetic exchanges are associated with ecological diversification, pathogenesis, and symbiosis.
Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
Juan Gefaell, Cristian Saborido
Summary: This paper analyzes the debate between the Modern Synthesis and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis using Thomas Kuhn's concept of incommensurability. It concludes that the two theories are semantically, methodologically, and ontologically incommensurable, and discusses the consequences and implications of this conclusion.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
Maeva Perez, Corinna Breusing, Bernard Angers, Roxanne A. Beinart, Yong-Jin Won, C. Robert Young
Summary: Vertical transmission of bacterial endosymbionts leads to gene loss and reduction in genome size. This study investigates the contributions of drift, recombination, and selection to genome evolution in two species of vesicomyid symbionts. The results suggest that drift is a significant force, while selection and interspecific recombination play critical roles in maintaining functional integrity and creating divergent patterns of gene conservation in the symbionts.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gan Zhen Ye, Dae-Ki Kang
Summary: The research proposes a stagnation-driven extinction protocol for genetic algorithm (SDEP-GA) to enhance the performance of classical GA. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of SDEP-GA in avoiding stagnation in the evolution process.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Jenny C. Coelho, Ethan D. Calhoun, Grant N. Calhoun, Angela Z. Poole
Summary: GTPases of Immunity-Associated Proteins (GIMAP) are small GTP-binding proteins found in various organisms. In vertebrates, they have been implicated in immune system regulation, apoptosis, and autophagy. Recent research suggests a connection between GIMAP and coral bleaching in cnidarians. This study characterized GIMAP sequences in cnidarians and revealed their distribution patterns and evolutionary significance.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hiroki Kise, Maria Eduarda Alves Santos, Chloe Julie Lois Fourreau, Akira Iguchi, Ryutaro Goto, James Davis Reimer
Summary: Symbioses play important roles in forming marine diversity, and understanding how interspecies interactions through symbioses contribute to biodiversity is essential. Host switching is considered a main driver of diversification in symbiotic systems, but its process and patterns in the marine realm are poorly investigated. This study provides insight into the patterns of host switching and the diversification history of zoantharians, highlighting the role of symbioses in the morphological and ecological evolution of marine invertebrates.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Natalia Rutkowska, Piotr Drozdzynski, Malgorzata Ryngajllo, Olga Marchut-Mikolajczyk
Summary: For thousands of years, plants have been used for medicinal purposes. However, the industrial production of plant-beneficial compounds faces challenges, such as seasonal dependence and extraction difficulties, which have led to the endangerment of many plant species. There is a growing need to develop sustainable production processes to meet the increasing demand for compounds used in cancer treatment. Endophytic microorganisms residing within plant tissues have great industrial potential as they can produce similar or even identical compounds as their hosts. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of biosynthesis in plants and the actual producers of these bioactive compounds is crucial for scaling up endophyte production.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Correction
Parasitology
Jack Pilgrim, Stefanos Siozios, Matthew Baylis, Gert Venter, Claire Garros, Gregory D. D. Hurst
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Jack Pilgrim, Stefanos Siozios, Matthew Baylis, Gert Venter, Claire Garros, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: The study reveals a linkage disequilibrium between the endosymbiont Cardinium and mitochondria in Culicoides imicola populations, indicating potential gene flow of the endosymbiont within the Mediterranean basin. Mitotype variations between Eastern and Western Mediterranean basins mirror Cardinium-infection heterogeneity, cautioning against the sole use of the COI marker for determining population structure and movement in C. imicola. Additional molecular markers are suggested for complementing the assessment of population structure and gene flow.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Michael Gerth, Humberto Martinez-Montoya, Paulino Ramirez, Florent Masson, Joanne S. Griffin, Rodolfo Aramayo, Stefanos Siozios, Bruno Lemaitre, Mariana Mateos, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: Studies have shown that Spiroplasma has a rapid evolutionary rate, high substitution rate, significant genomic structural differences, and the absence of mismatch repair loci may contribute to the elevated substitution rates. Different Spiroplasma lineages exhibit dynamic evolution in their morphology, and loci similar to the malekilling toxin Spaid have been identified in various Spiroplasma strains and other endosymbionts.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Georgia C. Drew, Giles E. Budge, Crystal L. Frost, Peter Neumann, Stefanos Siozios, Orlando Yanez, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study describes a symbiosis between a member of the genus Arsenophonus and the Western honey bee. While the symbiont shares common genomic properties with Arsenophonus nasoniae, evidence suggests that the bee Arsenophonus deviates from a heritable transmission model, with evidence of horizontal transmission between bees.
Article
Entomology
J. Pilgrim, S. Siozios, M. Baylis, G. Venter, C. Garros, G. D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study screened 337 individuals of 25 Culicoides species from both Palearctic and Afrotropical regions for Cardinium infection using PCR assays, finding infections in several vector species. Phylogenetic analysis grouped all new isolates within 'group C' of the genus. Comparing results with previous screens, C. imicola and C. sonorensis were suggested as good candidates for further study of Cardinium-midge interactions.
MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jack Pilgrim, Panupong Thongprem, Helen R. Davison, Stefanos Siozios, Matthew Baylis, Evgeny Zakharov, Sujeevan Ratnasingham, Jeremy R. DeWaard, Craig R. Macadam, M. Alex Smith, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study discovered an unexpected presence of Rickettsia in the Barcode of Life Data System, with Torix group Rickettsia accounting for a majority of unintended amplifications. Further analysis supported the hypothesis of aquatic hot spots for Torix infection, with significant proportions of Torix symbioses found in arthropod genome projects. The study highlights the importance of understanding the host effects and transmission strategies of these newly discovered associations involving Torix Rickettsia.
Article
Microbiology
Rafael Jose Vivero, Victor Alfonso Castaneda-Monsalve, Luis Roberto Romero, Gregory D. Hurst, Gloria Cadavid-Restrepo, Claudia Ximena Moreno-Herrera
Summary: Pintomyia evansi, a vector of fatal visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia, showed a significant increase in Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria populations when infected with Leishmania infantum. Antibiotic treatment in uninfected insects led to higher levels of Ralstonia. Furthermore, Leishmania infection and antibiotic treatment had a negative effect on gut microbiota diversity.
Review
Ecology
M. Florencia Camus, Bridie Alexander-Lawrie, Joel Sharbrough, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: In this article, the authors discuss the diversity and peculiarities of cytoplasmic inherited genomes, as well as the broad evolutionary consequences of non-Mendelian inheritance. The origins of vertical transmission and uniparental inheritance are explored, and the vast diversity of cytoplasmic inheritance systems in Eukaryota is described. The evolution of genomic organisation and its interactions with the nuclear genome and population genetics dynamics are also discussed. The authors highlight the importance of understanding hereditary symbiosis in order to understand the evolution of eukaryotes.
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Stefanos Siozios, Crystal L. Frost, Rebecca Court, Ewa Chrostek, Georgia C. Drew, Jay D. Evans, David J. Hawthorne, James B. Burritt, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study reports a microbe related to Arsenophonus nasoniae, traditionally considered heritable bacterial symbionts of arthropods, infecting honey bees (Apis mellifera). The microbe was cultured in vitro and its genome was sequenced. This finding suggests a different mode of transmission for this microbe compared to other Arsenophonus bacteria that are typically found only in arthropods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Stefanos Siozios, Nigel Halliday, Miguel Camara, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study describes a culturable bacterial symbiont, Symbiopectobacterium purcellii, with a predicted metabolism more complete than other symbionts and the synthesis of bioactive small molecules. LC-MS/MS analysis reveals a profoundly divergent AHL profile compared to other bacterial species.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Steven R. Parratt, Stefanos Siozios, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: Vertically transmitted heritable microbial symbionts are important invertebrate biology and ecology. Arsenophonus provides a clear example of symbiotic transmission patterns, with some strains being obligate vertically transmitted symbionts and others having mixed modes of transmission. This research expands the understanding of genetic mechanisms in bacterial-insect interactions and broadens the range of host species infected with nasoniae/apicola clade strains.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordan E. Jones, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: The presence of defensive microbial symbionts within insects can affect the outcome of natural enemy attacks. The thermal environment is known to influence symbiont-mediated traits in insects. This study examined the effect of temperature on Spiroplasma-mediated protection against Leptopilina boulardi in Drosophila melanogaster and found that the developmental temperature of the mothers plays a stronger role in determining the protective influence of Spiroplasma than the temperature during or after wasp attack.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Helen Rebecca Davison, Gregory D. D. Hurst, Stefanos Siozios
Summary: We explore the diversity of the genus 'Candidatus Megaira' using Sequence Read Archive and metagenomic assemblies. We identify four 'Ca. Megaira' genomes, including one complete scaffold, and an additional 14 draft genomes from uncategorized environmental metagenome-assembled genomes. Our findings reveal the underestimation of the diversity of 'Ca. Megaira' and suggest a potential for defensive symbiosis in this genus.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Helen R. Davison, Jessica Crozier, Stacy Pirro, Helge Kampen, Doreen Werner, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: Symbiotic bacteria in Anopheles mosquitoes can alter host biology and the transmission of diseases. A study identified a symbiont called 'Ca. Tisiphia' in Anopheles plumbeus and investigated its genome and metabolic competence. This research provides valuable insights into the symbiotic relationships in Anopheles mosquitoes and their impact on host biology and disease transmission.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Crystal L. Frost, Ana Claudia Norte, Jorge Garrido-Bautista, Timothy E. Wilkes, Rowan Connell, Annabel Rice, Indrikis Krams, Tapio Eeva, Philippe Christe, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This paper examines the distribution of a parasitic bacterium in the population of a wasp host in Europe. The study finds that this bacterium is widely present in bee populations in Germany, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, and Portugal, but with varying frequencies. A new screening method using ethanol-preserved fly pupae is effective in detecting both wasp and bacterium infection. Future research should investigate the causes of frequency variation.
JOURNAL OF INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY
(2023)