Ecological and Evolutionary Science
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceTemporal, Environmental, and Biological Drivers of the Mucosal Microbiome in a Wild Marine Fish, Scomber japonicusPacific chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, are one of the largest and most economically important fisheries in the world. The fish is harvested for both human consumption and fish meal. Changing ocean conditions driven by anthropogenic stressors like climate change may negatively impact fisheries. One mechanism for this is through disease. As waters warm and chemistry changes, the microbial communities associated with fish may...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceExtreme Viral Partitioning in a Marine-Derived High Arctic LakeThe Arctic is warming at an accelerating pace, and the rise in temperature has increasing impacts on the Arctic biome. Lakes are integrators of their surroundings and thus excellent sentinels of environmental change. Despite their importance in the regulation of key microbial processes, viruses remain largely uncharacterized in Arctic lacustrine environments. We sampled a highly stratified meromictic lake near the northern limit of the...
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceSubtle Variations in Dietary-Fiber Fine Structure Differentially Influence the Composition and Metabolic Function of Gut MicrobiotaDiet, especially with respect to consumption of dietary fibers, is well recognized as one of the most important factors shaping the colonic microbiota composition. Accordingly, many studies have been conducted to explore dietary fiber types that could predictably manipulate the colonic microbiota for improved health. However, the majority of these studies underappreciate the vastness of fiber structures in terms of their microbial...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceThe Transcriptional Aftermath in Two Independently Formed Hybrids of the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida orthopsilosisHow new pathogens emerge is an important question that remains largely unanswered. Some emerging yeast pathogens are hybrids originated through the crossing of two different species, but how hybridization contributes to higher virulence is unclear. Here, we show that hybrids selectively retain gene regulation plasticity inherited from the two parents and that this plasticity affects genes involved in virulence.
Observation | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceDisruption of Cross-Feeding Inhibits Pathogen Growth in the Sputa of Patients with Cystic FibrosisAntibiotic efficacy achieved in vitro correlates poorly with clinical outcomes after treatment of chronic polymicrobial diseases; if a pathogen demonstrates susceptibility to a given antibiotic in the lab, that compound is often ineffective when administered clinically. Conversely, if a pathogen is resistant in vitro, patient treatment with that same compound can elicit a positive response. This discordance suggests...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceUnder-the-Radar Dengue Virus Infections in Natural Populations of Aedes aegypti MosquitoesSince 1999, dengue outbreaks in the continental United States involving local transmission have occurred only episodically and only in Florida and Texas. In Florida, these episodes appear to be coincident with increased introductions of dengue virus into the region through human travel and migration from countries where the disease is endemic. To date, the U.S. public health response to dengue outbreaks has been largely reactive, and...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary SciencePhylogenomic Insights into Diversity and Evolution of Nonpathogenic Xanthomonas Strains Associated with CitrusXanthomonas citri is one of the top phytopathogenic bacteria and is the causal agent of citrus canker. Interestingly, Xanthomonas is also reported to be associated with healthy citrus plants. The advent of the genomic era enabled us to carry out a detailed evolutionary study of a Xanthomonas community associated with citrus and other plants. Our...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceDiversity of Secondary Metabolism in Aspergillus nidulans Clinical IsolatesMuch of what we know about the genetics underlying secondary metabolite (SM) production and the function of SMs in the model fungus Aspergillus nidulans comes from a single reference genome. A growing body of research indicates the importance of biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) and SM diversity within a species. However, there is no information about the natural...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceInsights into the Host Range, Genetic Diversity, and Geographical Distribution of JingmenvirusesSeveral arboviruses emerging as new pathogens for humans and domestic animals have recently raised public health concern and increased interest in the study of their host range and in detection of spillover events. Recently, a new group of segmented Flaviviridae-related viruses, the Jingmenviruses, has been identified worldwide in many invertebrate and vertebrate hosts, pointing out the issue of whether they belong to the...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceOptimization of a Method To Quantify Soil Bacterial Abundance by Flow CytometryThe ability to quantify bacterial abundance is important for understanding the contributions of microbial communities in soils, but such assays remain difficult and time-consuming. Flow cytometry offers a fast and direct way to count bacterial cells, but several concerns remain in applying the technique to soils. This study aimed to improve the efficiency of the method for soil while quantifying its limitations. We demonstrated that an...