Category Archives: Coevolution

Genomes are coming: Sequence libraries from the honey bee reflect associated microbial diversity

Posted on 20 Jul, 2017 by Kelle Freel

One of the coolest of reasons that cheap sequencing is nifty, in my opinion, is that it has allowed researchers to study individual eukaryotic organisms, and their associated microbes (their microbiome). Let’s be real, we are in the midst of … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, community ecology, evolution, genomics, metagenomics, microbiology, next generation sequencing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

When less might be more: The evolution of reduced genomes

Posted on 23 Jun, 2017 by Kelle Freel

The advent of affordable genome sequencing has provided us with a wealth of data. Researchers have sequenced everything from Escherichia coli (4.6 Mbp genome size), to sea urchins (810 Mbp), chimpanzees (3.3 Gbp), and humans (3.2 Gbp). Then there are the … Continue reading →

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Nancy Moran awarded the 2017 Molecular Ecology Prize

Posted on 31 May, 2017 by Jeremy Yoder

The 2017 Molecular Ecology Prize will go to Professor Nancy Moran of the University of Texas at Austin. The Prize is awarded by the Editorial Board of Molecular Ecology to recognize “an outstanding scientist who has made significant contributions to … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, community, evolution, microbiology, Molecular Ecology, the journal | Tagged , | 4 Comments

A sponge and its symbionts, using genomics to unravel complex relationships

Posted on 30 Mar, 2017 by Kelle Freel

The ocean is full of interesting organisms and even more fascinating (as well as difficult to tease apart) are the interactions among them. From deep sea giant tube worms, to the adorable bobtail squid, symbioses have a central role, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, community ecology, genomics, metagenomics, microbiology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Different ways to have sex, yet still be a weed

Posted on 28 Mar, 2017 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Baker (1955) noticed that when mates are lacking, the ability to undergo self-fertilization will greatly enhance colonization success. Uniparental reproduction seems to be common in colonizing species, whether it’s from a continent to an oceanic island, during a biological invasion or during range … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, comparative phylogeography, evolution, natural history, phylogeography, population genetics, selection | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dishing out Art: “Soiling” our microbiology curriculum

Posted on 14 Mar, 2017 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Sarah Adkins wrote this post as a final project for Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a MS student working with Dr. Jeffrey Morris at UAB. They are looking at how microbes (i.e., phytoplankton and E. … Continue reading →

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How much wood would a termite chuck…if it was missing its microbial symbionts

Posted on 24 Feb, 2017 by Kelle Freel

Termites get a pretty bad rap, probably because we think of our houses disintegrating when they move in. Ironically, we have a lot to learn from these critters, and their mounds have served as an inspiration for modern architecture. Either … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, evolution, genomics, microbiology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The seeds of speciation

Posted on 1 Feb, 2017 by Jeremy Yoder

You don’t have to get very far into an evolution textbook before you bump into Darwin’s finches, the birds descended from South American finches that colonized the Galapagos Islands and “radiated” into an array of different species, each with a … Continue reading →

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Diving into chilly California waters, understanding genomic differentiation and the role of gene transfer in marine cyanophages

Posted on 23 Nov, 2016 by Kelle Freel

At this point, it’s clear: microbes are everywhere, there are a lot of them, and they are important. In fact, they are more abundant, more diverse and older than any other organism we have on this planet. In particular, cyanobacteria … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, evolution, genomics, horizontal gene transfer, microbiology, population genetics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Comparative View of Comparative Phylogeography

Posted on 8 Aug, 2016 by Bryan McLean

A recent issue of PNAS includes papers from a Sackler Colloquium on comparative phylogeography. As stated by the organizers, a major purpose of that gathering “was to bring together leading scientists to address the current state of phylogeography as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coevolution, community, comparative phylogeography, phylogeography, population genetics | 1 Comment