A5074497432- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Plant and animal studies
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Spider Taxonomy and Behavior Studies
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Marine and environmental studies
- Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Antimicrobial Peptides and Activities
- Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy
- Silk-based biomaterials and applications
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
Aarhus University
2016-2025
Université de Lille
2006
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
2006
University of Edinburgh
2006
The duplication of genes can occur through various mechanisms and is thought to make a major contribution the evolutionary diversification organisms. There increasing evidence for large-scale in some chelicerate lineages including two rounds whole genome (WGD) horseshoe crabs. To investigate this further, we sequenced analyzed common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum. We found pervasive both coding non-coding spider, clusters Hox genes. Analysis synteny conservation across P....
Spiders are ecologically important predators with complex venom and extraordinarily tough silk that enables capture of large prey. Here we present the assembled genome social velvet spider a draft assembly tarantula represent two major taxonomic groups spiders. The genomes short exons long introns, reminiscent mammalian genomes. Phylogenetic analyses place spiders ticks as sister supporting polyphyly Acari. Complex sets genes/proteins identified. We find genes evolved by sequential...
Flowering plants often prevent selfing through mechanisms of self-incompatibility (S.I.). The loss S.I. has occurred many times independently, because it provides short-term advantages in situations where pollinators or mates are rare. genus Capsella, which is closely related to Arabidopsis, contains a pair diploid species, the self-incompatible Capsella grandiflora and self-compatible rubella. To elucidate transition its relationship speciation C. rubella, we have made use comparative...
Recently diverged species typically have incomplete reproductive barriers, allowing introgression of genetic material from one into the genomic background other. The role natural selection in preventing or promoting remains contentious. Because co-adaptation, some chromosomal fragments are expected to be selected against new and resist introgression. In contrast, should favor for alleles at genes evolving under multi-allelic balancing selection, such as MHC vertebrates, disease resistance,...
A recent investigation found evidence that the transition of Arabidopsis thaliana from ancestral self-incompatibility (SI) to full self-compatibility occurred very recently and suggested this through a selective fixation nonfunctional allele (ΨSCR1) at SCR gene, which determines pollen specificity in incompatibility response. The main is lack polymorphism locus A. thaliana. However, nearby SRK stigma self-incompatible Brassicaceae species, has extremely high sequence diversity, with 3...
Group living carries a price: it inherently entails increased competition for resources and reproduction, may also be associated with mating among relatives, which costs of inbreeding. Nonetheless, group sociality is found in many animals, understanding the direct indirect benefits cooperation that override inherent remains challenge evolutionary ecology. Individuals groups benefit from more efficient management energy or water reserves, example form reduced heat loss animals huddling,...
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...
Across several animal taxa, the evolution of sociality involves a suite characteristics, "social syndrome," that includes cooperative breeding, reproductive skew, primary female-biased sex ratio, and transition from outcrossing to inbreeding mating system, factors are expected reduce effective population size (Ne). This social syndrome may be favoured by short-term benefits but come with long-term costs, because reduction in Ne amplifies loss genetic diversity drift, ultimately restricting...
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...
Abstract The interplay of balancing selection within a species and rapid gene evolution between can confound our ability to determine the functional equivalence interspecific intergeneric pairs alleles underlying reproduction. In crucifer plants, mating specificity in barrier self-fertilization called self-incompatibility (SI) is controlled by allele-specific interactions two highly polymorphic co-evolving proteins, S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) its cysteine rich (SCR) ligand. These proteins...
Abstract Analyses of arthropod genomes have shown that the genes in different innate humoral immune responses are conserved. These encode proteins involved signalling pathways recognize pathogens and activate responses. include phagocytosis, encapsulation pathogen production effector molecules for elimination. So far, most studies focused on insects leaving other major groups largely unexplored. Here, we annotate immune‐related six arachnid present evidence a conserved pattern some genes,...
Spiders are predaceous arthropods that capable of subduing and consuming relatively large prey items compared to their own body size. For this purpose, spiders have evolved potent venoms immobilise digestive fluids break down nutrients inside the prey's by means extra-oral digestion (EOD). Both secretions contain an array active proteins, overlap some components has been anecdotally reported, but not quantified. We systematically investigated extent such protein overlap. As venom injection...
Abstract The effective population size ( N e ) is a central factor in determining maintenance of genetic variation. neutral theory predicts that loss variation depends on , with less drift larger populations. We monitored 42 Drosophila melanogaster populations different adult census sizes (10, 50 or 500) using pooled RAD sequencing. In small populations, was lost at substantially lower rate than expected. This observation consistent across two ecological relevant thermal regimes, one stable...
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 Self-incompatibility in Arabidopsis lyrata is sporophytically controlled by the multi-allelic S-locus. alleles (S-alleles) are under strong negative frequency dependent selection because pollen carrying common S-alleles have fewer mating opportunities. Population genetics theory predicts that deleterious can accumulate if linked to This was tested studying segregation of 11 large full sib families A. lyrata. Significant distortion leading an up fourfold difference transmission rates...
Abstract The evolution of sociality in spiders is associated with female bias, reproductive skew and an inbreeding mating system, factors that cause a reduction effective population size increase effects genetic drift. These act to decrease the effectiveness selection, thereby increasing fixation probability deleterious mutations. Comparative studies closely related species contrasting social traits systems provide opportunity test consequences low on selection empirically. We used...
In species with chromosomal sex determination, X chromosomes are predicted to evolve faster than autosomes because of positive selection on recessive alleles or weak purifying selection. We investigated chromosome evolution in Stegodyphus spiders that differ mating system, ratio, and population dynamics. assigned scaffolds using a novel method based flow cytometry sperm cells reduced representation sequencing. estimated coding substitution patterns (dN/dS) subsocial outcrossing (S....
Social spiders have remarkably low species-wide genetic diversities, potentially increasing the relative importance of microbial symbionts for host fitness. Here we explore bacterial microbiomes three species social Stegodyphus (S. dumicola, S. mimosarum and sarasinorum), within between populations, using16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The spider were distinct but shared similarities in membership structure. This included overall diversity (Shannon index 0.5-1.7), strong dominance single...
Disentangling modes and fidelity of symbiont transmission are key for understanding host-symbiont associations in wild populations. In group-living animals, social may evolve to ensure high-fidelity symbionts, since non-reproducing helpers constitute a dead-end vertical transmission. We investigated the spider Stegodyphus dumicola, which lives family groups where majority females helpers, feed offspring by regurgitation, individuals communally on insect prey. Group members share temporally...
Factors that increase reproductive variance among individuals act to reduce effective population size (Ne), which accelerates the loss of genetic diversity and decreases efficacy purifying selection. These factors include sexual cannibalism, offspring investment mating system. Pre-copulatory where female consumes male prior mating, exacerbates this effect. We performed comparative transcriptomics in two spider species, cannibalistic
Identification and characterization of the self-incompatibility genes in Brassicaceae species now allow typing haplotypes natural populations. In this study we sampled mapped all 88 individuals a small population Arabidopsis lyrata from Iceland. The at SRK gene were typed for plants some their progeny used to investigate realized mating patterns population. observed frequencies found change considerably parent generation offspring around deterministic equilibria as determined known dominance...
Genes under multiallelic balancing selection have sharply contrasted evolutionary dynamics across timescales, with much longer coalescence time among functionally distinct allelic lines but shorter gene copies within as compared the genomic background. In this paper, we combine theoretical and empirical approaches to investigate patterns of molecular evolution between self-incompatibility (SI) specificities. We first use numerical simulations times in a subdivided population for sporophytic...
Abstract Background The evolution of sociality in spiders involves a transition from an outcrossing to highly inbreeding mating system, shift female biased sex ratio, and increase the reproductive skew among individuals. Taken together, these features are expected result strong reduction effective population size. Such decline size is affect genetic molecular evolutionary processes, resulting reduced diversity relaxed selective constraint across genome. In genus Stegodyphus , permanent...
Mating systems and population dynamics influence genetic diversity structure. Species that experience inbreeding limited gene flow are expected to evolve isolated, divergent lineages. Metapopulation with frequent extinctions colonizations may, on the other hand, deplete homogenize variation, if extinction rate is sufficiently high compared effect of drift in local demes. We investigated these theoretical predictions empirically social spiders highly inbred. Social show intranest mating,...