Ecological and Evolutionary Science
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Hypercomplex Genome of an Insect Reproductive Parasite Highlights the Importance of Lateral Gene Transfer in Symbiont BiologyThe biology of many bacteria is critically dependent on genes carried on plasmid and phage mobile elements. These elements shuttle between microbial species, thus providing an important source of biological innovation across taxa. It has recently been recognized that mobile elements are also important in symbiotic bacteria, which form long-lasting interactions with their host. In this study, we report a bacterial symbiont genome that...
Minireview | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMore than Simple Parasites: the Sociobiology of Bacteriophages and Their Bacterial HostsBacteria harbor viruses called bacteriophages that, like all viruses, co-opt the host cellular machinery to replicate. Although this relationship is at first glance parasitic, there are social interactions among and between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts. These social interactions can take on many forms, including cooperation, altruism, and cheating. Such behaviors among individuals in groups of bacteria have been well...
Commentary | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceContext Is Key: Comparative Biology Illuminates the Vertebrate MicrobiomeMicrobes affect vertebrates on timescales from daily to evolutionary, and the cumulative effect of these interactions is immense. However, how microbiomes compare across (host) species is poorly understood, as most studies focus on relatively few species. A recent mBio article by S. J. Song, J. G. Sanders, F. Delsuc, J. Metcalf, et al. (mBio 11:e02901-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceModeling of the Coral Microbiome: the Influence of Temperature and Microbial NetworkCoral microbiome dysbiosis (i.e., shifts in the microbial community structure or complete loss of microbial symbionts) caused by environmental changes is a key player in the decline of coral health worldwide. Multiple factors in the water column and the surrounding biological community influence the dynamics of the coral microbiome. However, by including only temperature as an external factor, our model proved to be successful in...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceBacterial Transformation Buffers Environmental Fluctuations through the Reversible Integration of Mobile Genetic ElementsNatural transformation is the acquisition, controlled by bacteria, of extracellular DNA and is one of the most common mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, promoting the spread of resistance genes. However, its evolutionary function remains elusive, and two main roles have been proposed: (i) the new gene acquisition and genetic mixing within bacterial populations and (ii) the removal of infectious parasitic mobile genetic elements (...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceProposal of a Taxonomic Nomenclature for the Bacillus cereus Group Which Reconciles Genomic Definitions of Bacterial Species with Clinical and Industrial PhenotypesHistorical species definitions for many prokaryotes, including pathogens, have relied on phenotypic characteristics that are inconsistent with genome evolution. This scenario forces microbiologists and clinicians to face a tradeoff between taxonomic rigor and clinical interpretability. Using the Bacillus cereus group as a model, a conceptual framework for the...
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceGliotoxin, a Known Virulence Factor in the Major Human Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, Is Also Biosynthesized by Its Nonpathogenic Relative Aspergillus fischeriAspergillus fumigatus is a major opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans, but most of its close relatives are nonpathogenic. Why is that so? This important, yet largely unanswered, question can be addressed by examining how A. fumigatus and its close nonpathogenic relatives are similar or different...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePlasmids Shaped the Recent Emergence of the Major Nosocomial Pathogen Enterococcus faeciumEnterococcus faecium is one of the most frequent nosocomial pathogens of hospital-acquired infections. E. faecium has gained resistance against most commonly available antibiotics, most notably, against ampicillin, gentamicin, and vancomycin, which renders infections difficult to treat. Many...
Commentary | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMicrobial Life Deep UnderfootSoil is one of the most diverse microbial habitats on Earth. While the distribution and abundance of microbial taxa in surface soils have been well described, the phylogenetic and functional diversity of bacteria and archaea in deep-soil strata remains unexplored.
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEffects of Spatial Variability and Relic DNA Removal on the Detection of Temporal Dynamics in Soil Microbial CommunitiesNearly all microbial communities are dynamic in time. Understanding how temporal dynamics in microbial community structure affect soil biogeochemistry and fertility are key to being able to predict the responses of the soil microbiome to environmental perturbations. Here, we explain the effects of soil spatial structure and relic DNA on the determination of microbial community fluctuations over time. We found that intensive spatial...