Current Research Projects
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Deciphering the processes of adaptation and exaptation driving the evolution of opportunism in bacteriaIn the last few decades, the importance of bacteria, not only as pathogens but also as beneficial organisms, has been elucidated. However, it has become clear that bacterial diversity and evolution is much more complex than initially thought and there are still many fundamental questions that remain to be answered. Specifically, how bacteria evolve in the natural environment and what drives the evolution of different lifestyles in bacteria. From an evolutionary perspective, opportunistic bacteria are complex entities because of their wide-range of lifestyles. Their ability to be free-living, commensal, and pathogenic means that these organisms are highly adaptable, but the factors that influence their evolution remain a mystery.
We integrate multiple approaches, including in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses. Key to our research is our specific experimental evolution framework to study the interactions between four key players: 1) an opportunistic bacterium, 2) their environmental predators, 3) an animal host and 4) the animal host microbiota. Unraveling the ecological and evolutionary factors shaping host-associated microbial communities
A fundamental question in both ecology and evolution is: what factors shape microbial communities? Despite numerous studies, our understanding of the forces that drive community assembly, composition, and dynamics are still lacking. Our gap in knowledge is, in large part, due to a lack of integration between the fields of community ecology and population genetics. Environmental factors, species interactions, and evolutionary dynamics all play a role in shaping communities. However, the relative contributions of each of these factors in driving host-associated microbial community composition remain unclear. We are using the honey bee as a model system to investigate 1) how the environmental filtering impacts microbial community composition, 2) the relative role of neutral versus niche dynamics in shaping community structure, and 3) how microevolution influences community dynamics and structure over time. Key to this research is our ability to capture community dynamics not only at the species level (alpha and beta diversity), but also at the strain level.
Investigating the impacts of in-hive treatments on the reproductive health of queens and drones (Collaboration with Tarpy Lab)Honey bees are the primary managed insect pollinator in US agriculture, yet problems persist in the managed population. Two of the primary problems with honey bee colonies are disease agents (pathogens and parasites) and diminished reproductive quality of queens. For the former, beekeepers regularly apply antibiotics (to control bacterial pathogens) and acaricides (to control Varroa mites) in order to keep their colonies healthy. For the latter, beekeepers often replace their queens because of reduced longevity, premature failure, or early rejection, but the cause(s) of diminished reproductive quality are still unclear. We propose to test a potential link between beekeeper-applied compounds and reduced quality of queens (and the drones with which they mate). Our objectives are to determine if in-hive treatments (1) impact the reproductive health and physiology, (2) accumulate in the reproductive organs, and (3) alter the gut and reproductive microbiomes of queens and drones. Lastly, (4) we will promote clinical services for measuring queens and drones for beekeepers in real time so that they can measure these effects in their own operations.
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