Ecological and Evolutionary Science
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceDiversity in lac Operon Regulation among Diverse Escherichia coli Isolates Depends on the Broader Genetic Background but Is Not Explained by Genetic RelatednessThe lac operon of Escherichia coli is a classic model for studying gene regulation. This study has uncovered features such as the environmental input logic controlling gene expression, as well as gene expression bistability and hysteresis. Most lac operon studies have focused on a few lab strains, and it is not known how generally those findings...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceA New Lineage of Cryptococcus gattii (VGV) Discovered in the Central Zambezian Miombo WoodlandsCryptococcus gattii is an environmental pathogen that causes severe systemic infection in immunocompetent individuals more often than in immunocompromised humans. Over the past 2 decades, researchers have shown that C. gattii falls within four genetically distinct major lineages. By combining field...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMaintenance of Sympatric and Allopatric Populations in Free-Living Terrestrial BacteriaDue to the promiscuous exchange of genetic material and asexual reproduction, delineating microbial species (and, by extension, populations) remains challenging. Because of this, the vast majority of microbial studies assessing population structure often compare divergent strains from disparate environments under varied selective pressures. Here, we investigated the population structure within a single bacterial ecotype, a unit...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceSelection of Bacterial Mutants in Late Infections: When Vector Transmission Trades Off against Growth Advantage in Stationary PhasePathogens can evolve inside their host, and the importance of this mutation-fueled process is increasingly recognized. A disease outcome may indeed depend in part on pathogen adaptations that emerge during infection. It is therefore important to document these adaptations and the conditions that drive them. In our study, we took advantage of the possibility to monitor within-host evolution in the insect pathogen X. nematophila...
Opinion/Hypothesis | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceWhy Evolve Reliance on the Microbiome for Timing of Ontogeny?The timing of life history events has important fitness consequences. Since the 1950s, researchers have combined first principles and data to predict the optimal timing of life history transitions. Recently, a striking mystery has emerged. Such transitions can be shaped by a completely different branch of the tree of life: species in the microbiome.
Editor's Pick Opinion/Hypothesis | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceOn the Emergence of Cryptococcus gattii in the Pacific Northwest: Ballast Tanks, Tsunamis, and Black SwansThe appearance of Cryptococcus gattii in the North American Pacific Northwest (PNW) in 1999 was an unexpected and is still an unexplained event. Recent phylogenomic analyses strongly suggest that this pathogenic fungus arrived in the PNW approximately 7 to 9 decades ago. In this paper, we theorize that the ancestors of the PNW...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEcological and Genomic Attributes of Novel Bacterial Taxa That Thrive in Subsurface Soil HorizonsSoil profiles are rarely homogeneous. Resource availability and microbial abundances typically decrease with soil depth, but microbes found in deeper horizons are still important components of terrestrial ecosystems. By studying 20 soil profiles across the United States, we documented consistent changes in soil bacterial and archaeal communities with depth. Deeper soils harbored communities distinct from those of the more commonly...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePopulation Genomics of GII.4 Noroviruses Reveal Complex Diversification and New Antigenic Sites Involved in the Emergence of Pandemic StrainsNoroviruses are an important cause of viral gastroenteritis around the world. An obstacle delaying the development of norovirus vaccines is inadequate understanding of the role of norovirus diversity in immunity. Using a population genomics approach, we identified new residues on the viral capsid protein (VP1) from GII.4 noroviruses, the predominant genotype, that appear to be involved in the emergence and antigenic topology of GII.4...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceResistance Evolution against Phage Combinations Depends on the Timing and Order of ExposureGlobally rising rates of antibiotic resistance have renewed interest in phage therapy where combinations of phages have been successfully used to treat multidrug-resistant infections. To optimize phage therapy, we first need to understand how bacteria evolve resistance against combinations of multiple phages. Here, we use simple laboratory experiments and genome sequencing to show that the timing and order of phage exposure determine...
Perspective | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceAntibiotics: Combatting Tolerance To Stop ResistanceAntibiotic resistance poses an alarming and ever-increasing threat to modern health care. Although the current antibiotic crisis is widely acknowledged, actions taken so far have proved insufficient to slow down the rampant spread of resistant pathogens. Problematically, routine screening methods and strategies to restrict therapy failure almost exclusively focus on genetic resistance, while evidence for dangers posed by other bacterial...