A5035912846- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
Aarhus University
2019-2025
Variation in DNA methylation patterns among genes, individuals, and populations appears to be highly variable taxa, but our understanding of the functional significance this variation is still incomplete. We here present first whole genome bisulfite sequencing a chelicerate species, social spider Stegodyphus dumicola. show that occurs mainly CpG context concentrated genes. This pattern also documented other invertebrates. RNA sequence data investigate role gene regulation that, within...
In cooperatively breeding social animals, a few individuals account for all reproduction. some taxa, sociality is accompanied by transition from outcrossing to inbreeding, in concert, these traits act reduce effective population size, potentially rendering transitions evolutionarily dead-ends. We addressed this hypothesis comparative genomic study spiders, where has evolved independently at least 23 times, but species are recent and short-lived. present evidence the evolutionary dead-end...
In cooperatively breeding social animals, a few individuals account for all reproduction. some taxa, sociality is accompanied by transition from outcrossing to inbreeding. concert, these traits reduce effective population size, potentially rendering transitions "evolutionarily dead-ends." We addressed this hypothesis in comparative genomic study spiders, which has evolved independently at least 23 times, but branches are recent and short. present evidence the evolutionary dead-end spider...
Understanding the role of genetic and nongenetic variants in modulating phenotypes is central to our knowledge adaptive responses local conditions environmental change, particularly species with such low population diversity that it likely limit their evolutionary potential. A first step towards uncovering molecular mechanisms underlying population-specific environment carry out association studies. We associated climatic variation genetic, epigenetic microbiome populations a social spider...
Abstract Temperature is one of the primary environmental drivers distribution species, and particularly high temperatures challenge physiological processes by disruption cellular homoeostasis. This exerts selection on organisms to maintain homoeostasis adaptive and/or behavioural responses. The social spider Stegodyphus dumicola occurs across several climate zones in Southern Africa, populations experience variable temperatures, suggesting a wide temperature niche, or alternatively that...
How species thrive in a wide range of environments is major focus evolutionary biology. For many species, limited genetic diversity or gene flow among habitats means that phenotypic plasticity must play an important role their capacity to tolerate environmental heterogeneity and colonize new habitats. However, we have understanding the molecular components govern ecologically relevant phenotypes. We examined this hypothesis spider (Stegodyphus dumicola) with extremely low species-wide...
Abstract While metabarcoding of plant DNA from their environment is an exciting method that can supplement inventorying live species, the accuracy and specificity has yet to be fully assessed over complex continuous landscapes. In this work, we evaluate community profiles produced via soil by comparing them a morphological survey. We communities in 130 sites along ecological gradients (nutrients, succession, moisture) Denmark using chloroplast trn L region (10–143 bp) primer set compared...
Animals experience climatic variation in their natural habitats, which may lead to phenotypic responses among populations through local adaptation or plasticity. In ectotherm arthropods, the expression of thermoprotective metabolites such as free amino acids, sugars, and polyols, response temperature stress, facilitate tolerance by regulating cellular homeostasis. If differences temperatures, individuals exhibit population-specific metabolite profiles differential accumulation that thermal...