A5022421700- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Gut microbiota and health
- Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
- Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Ecology, Conservation, and Geographical Studies
- Arts, Culture, and Music Studies
- Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Sociology and Education Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
- Chaos control and synchronization
- stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
- Fossil Insects in Amber
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
- Forensic Entomology and Diptera Studies
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
2017-2024
Kiel University
2022
Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine
2022
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
2022
University of Potsdam
2016
University of Exeter
2013-2014
Osnabrück University
2007-2011
Esri (Canada)
2010
Max Planck Society
1987
Almost all animals and plants are inhabited by diverse communities of microorganisms, the microbiota, thereby forming an integrated entity, metaorganism. Natural selection should favor hosts that shape community composition these microbes to promote a beneficial host-microbe symbiosis. Indeed, animal often pose selective environments, which only subset environmentally available able colonize. How assemble after colonization form complex microbiota is less clear. Neutral models based on...
Microbial communities are accompanied by a diverse array of viruses. Through infections abundant microbes, these viruses have the potential to mediate competition within community, effectively weakening competitive interactions and promoting coexistence. This is particular relevance for host-associated microbial communities, because diversity microbiota has been linked host health functioning. Here, we study interaction between two key members freshwater metazoan Hydra vulgaris The commensal...
Significance Animals can provide benefits to their associated microbes—and these can, in turn, positively affect hosts. But how do such mutually beneficial associations arise the first place? In particular, when animal and microbe initially have independent lifestyles, this is not clear. By developing a model of microbial life cycles on patchy habitats, we show overlapping ecologies development dispersal lead enrichment certain microbes dispersing animals, even absence specific mutualistic...
Pathogens vary strikingly in their virulence and the selection they impose on hosts. While evolution of different levels is well studied, host resistance response to less understood and, at present, mainly based observations theoretical predictions with few experimental tests. Increased can increase for if benefits avoiding infection outweigh costs. To test this, we experimentally evolved bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus presence two variants a filamentous phage that differ virulence. The...
ABSTRACT The microbiome expresses a variety of functions that influence host biology. range depends on the microbiome’s composition, which can change during host’s lifetime due to neutral assembly processes, host-mediated selection, and environmental conditions. To date, exact dynamics assembly, underlying determinants, effects host-associated remain poorly understood. Here, we used nematode Caenorhabditis elegans defined community fully sequenced, naturally associated bacteria study across...
1. Competition and predation are at the heart of community ecology. The theoretical concept intraguild (IGP) combines these key interactions in a single module. Because IGP is believed to be ubiquitous nature, it has been subject extensive research, there exists well-developed framework. 2. We show that general class models can transformed simpler, but equivalent structures. This rather unexpected simplification depends critically on property 'indiscriminate predation', which we define...
The close association between animals and their associated microbiota is usually beneficial for both partners. Here, we used a simple marine model invertebrate, the flatworm Macrostomum lignano, to characterize host-microbiota interaction in detail. This analysis revealed that different developmental stages each harbor specific microbiota. Studies with gnotobiotic clarified physiological significance of While no fitness benefits were mediated by when food was freely available, showed...
Abstract In light of the dynamic nature parasite host ranges and documented potential for rapid shifts, observed high specificity most parasites remains an ecological paradox. Different variants host‐use trade‐offs have become a mainstay theoretical explanations prevalence specialism, but empirical evidence such is rare. We propose alternative theory based on basic features life cycle: selection subsequent intrahost replication. introduce new concept effective burst size that accounts fact...
Infections by filamentous phages, which are usually nonlethal to the bacterial cells, influence fitness in various ways. While phage-encoded accessory genes, for example virulence can be highly beneficial, production of viral particles is energetically costly and often reduces growth. Consequently, if costs outweigh benefits, bacteria evolve resistance, shorten phage epidemics. Abiotic conditions known net-fitness effect infected bacteria. Their impact on dynamics trajectories host...
Ecological field data suggest that some species show periodic changes in abundance over time and a specific spatial direction. Periodic travelling waves as solutions to reaction–diffusion equations have helped identify possible scenarios, by which such spatio-temporal patterns may arise. In this paper, are tested for their robustness against an irregular temporal forcing, since most natural populations can be expected subject erratic fluctuations imposed the environment. It is found small...
Macroorganisms are inhabited by microbial communities that often change through the lifespan of an individual. One factors contributing to this is colonization from environment. The initially microbe-free hosts particularly interesting, as their microbiome depends entirely on microbes external origin. We present a mathematical model process with particular emphasis effect ecological drift and finite host lifespan. Our results indicate becomes especially relevant for short-living organisms...
Abstract Chemostat experiments are employed to study predator–prey and other trophic interactions, frequently using phytoplankton–zooplankton systems. These often use population dynamics as fingerprints of ecological evolutionary processes, assuming that the contributions all major actors these known. However, bacteria neglected although they present. We argue even without external carbon input may affect experimental outcomes depending on conditions physiological traits bacteria,...
Abstract Almost all animals and plants are inhabited by diverse communities of microorganisms, the microbiota, thereby forming an integrated entity, metaorganism. Natural selection should favor hosts that shape community composition these microbes to promote a beneficial host-microbe symbiosis. Indeed, animal often pose selective environments, which only subset environmentally available able colonize. How assemble after colonization form complex microbiota is less clear. Neutral models based...
Theoretical models are useful to investigate the drivers of community dynamics. In simplest case neutral models, events death, birth and immigration individuals assumed only depend on their abundance—thus, all types share same parameters. The level expectations arising from these simple agreement empirical data have been discussed extensively, often suggesting that in nature, rates might indeed be or differences not important. However, how robust model predictions type-specific rates? Also,...
Abstract The microbiome expresses a variety of functions that influence host biology. range depends on composition the microbiome, which itself can change during lifetime as consequence neutral assembly processes, host-mediated selection, and/or environmental conditions. To date, exact dynamics assembly, underlying determinants well resulting effects host-associated are not always understood. Here, we used nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and defined community fully sequenced, naturally...
Abstract Reproduction of bacteria-specific viruses, or bacteriophage, requires the replication and translation machinery host cell. As a consequence, phage fitness depends intimately on physiological state, i.e. growth rate, host. We include this dependence critical traits rate in mathematical model bacteria-phage interaction. This leads to feedback loop between success, population size, nutrient availability rate. find that allows slow growing bacteria have competitive advantage presence...