Ecological and Evolutionary Science
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...
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,...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceA Role for Tetracycline Selection in Recent Evolution of Agriculture-Associated Clostridium difficile PCR Ribotype 078Clostridium difficile PCR ribotype 078 (RT078) has multiple reservoirs; many are agricultural. Since 2005, this genotype has been increasingly associated with human infections in both clinical settings and the community. Investigations of RT078 whole-genome sequences revealed that tetracycline resistance had been acquired on multiple independent occasions....
Minireview | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceFungi in the Marine Environment: Open Questions and Unsolved ProblemsTerrestrial fungi play critical roles in nutrient cycling and food webs and can shape macroorganism communities as parasites and mutualists. Although estimates for the number of fungal species on the planet range from 1.5 to over 5 million, likely fewer than 10% of fungi have been identified so far.
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceChanges in Intrinsic Antibiotic Susceptibility during a Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coliResistance to antibiotics often evolves when bacteria encounter antibiotics. However, bacterial strains and species without any known exposure to these drugs also vary in their intrinsic susceptibility. In many cases, evolved resistance has been shown to be costly to the bacteria, such that resistant types have reduced competitiveness relative to their sensitive progenitors in the absence of antibiotics. In this study, we examined...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceIntroducing THOR, a Model Microbiome for Genetic Dissection of Community BehaviorThe manipulation and engineering of microbiomes could lead to improved human health, environmental sustainability, and agricultural productivity. However, microbiomes have proven difficult to alter in predictable ways, and their emergent properties are poorly understood. The history of biology has demonstrated the power of model systems to understand complex problems such as gene expression or development. Therefore, a defined and...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceVirus Genomes from Deep Sea Sediments Expand the Ocean Megavirome and Support Independent Origins of Viral GigantismGenomics and evolution of giant viruses are two of the most vigorously developing areas of virus research. Lately, metagenomics has become the main source of new virus genomes. Here we describe a metagenomic analysis of the genomes of large and giant viruses from deep sea sediments. The assembled new virus genomes substantially expand the known diversity of the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses of eukaryotes. The results support the...