genetics – Open Access Biology Summaries

Monkey business: how pinworms shape genetic diversity in howler monkeys

ft. Inconsistent Capitalisation From: “Co-structure analysis and genetic associations reveal insights into pinworms (Trypanoxyuris) and primates (Alouatta palliata) microevolutionary dynamics”, B. Solórzano-García, E. Vázquez-Domínguez, G. Pérez-Ponce de León & D. Piñero, BMC Ecology and Evolution 21:190 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-021-01924-4 One of the most important drivers of evolutionary change is parasitism. Parasitic organisms are by definition detrimental …

Continue reading “Monkey business: how pinworms shape genetic diversity in howler monkeys”

Mouse Microbiome Mutations: how mutant E. coli speed up evolution

From “Low mutational load and high mutation rate variation in gut commensal bacteria”, R.S Ramiro, P. Durão, C. Bank, I. Gordo (2020), PLoS Biology 18:3 e3000617 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000617 In recent years, biology has come to understand that the bacteria and microorganisms living inside animal guts are hugely influential in the functioning of the animal, affecting processes …

Continue reading “Mouse Microbiome Mutations: how mutant E. coli speed up evolution”

Elba Room: Surprising Finds in the Partridge Genome

From: “Non-native and hybrid in a changing environment: conservation perspectives for the last Italian red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) population with long natural history”, G. Forcina, M. Geurrine, F. Barbanera (2020), Zoology 138 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2019.125740 Over the past few centuries, it has become ever quicker and easier for people to travel across the world. Advances in sailing, …

Continue reading “Elba Room: Surprising Finds in the Partridge Genome”

Hatching a plan: how modern genetics shed light on an 80-year old theory

From: “Transcriptome of pleuropodia from locust embryos supports that these organs produce enzymes enabling the larva to hatch” B. Koponová, E. Nichberger and A. Crisp (2020), Frontiers in Zoology 17:4 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-019-0349-2 When developing inside the egg, many insects develop small organs just below their final pair of legs called pleuropodia. These have been found in …

Continue reading “Hatching a plan: how modern genetics shed light on an 80-year old theory”

How did malaria get to the Americas?

From: “Plasmodium vivax Malaria Viewed through the Lens of an Eradicated European Strain”, L. van Dorp, P. Gelabert, A. Riuex, M. de Manuel, T. de-Dios, S. Gopalakrishnan, C. Carøe, M. Sandoval-Velasco, R. Fregel, I. Olalde et al (2019), Molecular Biology and Evolution msz264 https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz264 Malaria is, worldwide, a huge danger to human life. It is …

Continue reading “How did malaria get to the Americas?”

The genes that allow a parasitic worm to infect both rats and snails

From: “The genetic basis of adaptive evolution in parasitic environment from the Angiostrongylus cantonensis genome”, Xu L., Xu M. Xi S., Junyang X., Xin Z., Dai S., Dongjuan Y., Ping H., Weiming H., Yulan Y., Shiqi L., Xiaoying W., Zhongao W. et al (2019), PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 13:11 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007846 Parasites are, when you think …

Continue reading “The genes that allow a parasitic worm to infect both rats and snails”

Boating flies: how mosquitoes travel through the Amazon

From: “The genetic structure of Aedes aegypti populations is driven by boat traffic in the Peruvian Amazon”, S.A.J. Guagliardo, Y. Lee, A.A. Pierce, J. Wong, Y.Y. Chu, A.C. Morrison, H. Astete, B. Brosi, G. Vazquez-Prokopec, T.W. Scott, U. Kitron, S.T. Stoddard (2019), PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 13:9 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007552 The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major …

Continue reading “Boating flies: how mosquitoes travel through the Amazon”

A House Divided: what splits a lineage of birds?

From “Deep south-north genetic divergence in Godlewski’s bunting (Emberiza godlewskii) related to uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and habitat preferences”, J. Li, G, Song, N. Liu, Y. Change and X. Bao (2019), BMC Evolutionary Biology 19:161 From almost the beginning of recorded history through to the twentieth century the basic unit of Chinese politics has …

Continue reading “A House Divided: what splits a lineage of birds?”

How melanic was my squirrel: how dark squirrels got their colour

From: “Multiple origins of melanism in two species of North American tree squirrel (Sciurus)”, H.R. McRobie, N.D. Moncrief and N.I. Mundy (2019), BMC Evolutionary Biology 19:140 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-019-1471-7 Melanin is one of the most common pigments in nature. It determines our hair and skin colour, as well as that of many other animals – the more …

Continue reading “How melanic was my squirrel: how dark squirrels got their colour”