Ecological and Evolutionary Science
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMorphological Plasticity in a Sulfur-Oxidizing Marine Bacterium from the SUP05 Clade Enhances Dark Carbon FixationIdentifying shifts in microbial metabolism across redox gradients will improve efforts to model marine oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) ecosystems. Here, we show that aerobic morphology and metabolism increase cell size, sulfur storage capacity, and carbon fixation rates in “Ca. Thioglobus autotrophicus,” a chemosynthetic bacterium from the SUP05 clade that crosses oxic-anoxic boundaries.
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceGlobal Spread of Mutant PfCRT and Its Pleiotropic Impact on Plasmodium falciparum Multidrug Resistance and FitnessOur study defines the allelic distribution of pfcrt, an important mediator of multidrug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, in Africa and Asia. We leveraged whole-genome sequence analysis and gene editing to demonstrate how current drug combinations can select different allelic variants of this gene and shape region-specific parasite population structures....
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceIsolation and Characterization of Live Yeast Cells from Ancient Vessels as a Tool in Bio-ArchaeologySo far, most of the study of ancient organisms has been based mainly on the analysis of ancient DNA. Here we show that it is possible to isolate and study microorganisms—yeast in this case—from ancient pottery vessels used for fermentation. We demonstrate that it is highly likely that these cells are descendants of the original yeast strains that participated in the fermentation process and were absorbed into the clay matrix of the...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceDiversification of Colonization Factors in a Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Lineage Evolving under Negative Frequency-Dependent SelectionInfections with multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of Escherichia coli are a significant global public health concern. To combat these pathogens, we need a deeper understanding of how they evolved from their background populations. By understanding the processes that underpin their emergence, we can design new strategies to limit evolution of new clones and combat...
Letter to the Editor | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceCan Sequence Phylogenies Safely Infer the Origin of the Global Virome?
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceExperimental Evidence that Stochasticity Contributes to Bacterial Composition and Functioning in a Decomposer CommunityRandomness can alter the diversity and composition of ecological communities. Such stochasticity may therefore obscure the relationship between the environment and community composition and hinder our ability to predict the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. This study investigated the role of stochastic processes, environmental selection, and dispersal in microbial composition and its functioning on an intact...
Author Reply | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceReply to Holmes and Duchêne, “Can Sequence Phylogenies Safely Infer the Origin of the Global Virome?”: Deep Phylogenetic Analysis of RNA Viruses Is Highly Challenging but Not Meaningless
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMetabolism and Development during Conidial Germination in Response to a Carbon-Nitrogen-Rich Synthetic or a Natural Source of Nutrition in Neurospora crassaOne of the most remarkable successes of life is its ability to flourish in response to temporally and spatially varying environments. Fungi occupy diverse ecosystems, and their sensitivity to these environmental changes often drives major fungal life history decisions, including the major switch from vegetative growth to asexual or sexual reproduction. Spore germination comprises the first and simplest stage of vegetative growth. We...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceA Parasitic Arsenic Cycle That Shuttles Energy from Phytoplankton to Heterotrophic BacterioplanktonIn vast, warm regions of the oceans, phytoplankton face the problem of arsenic poisoning. Arsenate is toxic because it is chemically similar to phosphate, a scarce nutrient that phytoplankton cells need for growth. Many phytoplankton, including the commonest phytoplankton type in warm oceans, Prochlorococcus, detoxify arsenate by adding methyl groups. Here we show that the most abundant non-photosynthetic plankton in the oceans...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceMitotic Recombination and Rapid Genome Evolution in the Invasive Forest Pathogen Phytophthora ramorumAlien species are often successful invaders in new environments, despite the introduction of a few isolates with a reduced genetic pool. This is called the genetic paradox of invasion. We found two mechanisms by which the invasive forest pathogen causing sudden oak and sudden larch death can evolve. Extensive mitotic recombination producing runs of homozygosity generates genotypic diversity even in the absence of sexual reproduction,...