A5007101426- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Hemiptera Insect Studies
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
Environmental Earth Sciences
2022-2024
UNSW Sydney
2021-2024
The University of Sydney
2016-2022
Sorbonne Paris Cité
2012-2016
Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée
2012-2016
Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
2012-2016
Université Paris Cité
2012-2016
The evolutionary significance of epigenetic inheritance is controversial. While marks such as DNA methylation can affect gene function and change in response to environmental conditions, their role carriers heritable information often considered anecdotal. Indeed, near-complete reprogramming, occurs during mammalian embryogenesis, a major hindrance for the transmission nongenetic between generations. Yet it remains unclear how general reprogramming across tree life. Here we investigate...
The arrival of the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor on western honeybee Apis mellifera saw a change in diversity and prevalence RNA viruses. One virus particular, deformed wing (DWV) has become closely associated with V. , leading many to conclude that affected viral virulence by changing mode transmission. While DWV is normally transmitted via feeding faeces, transmits viruses direct injection. This could have resulted higher causing increased damage bees. Here we test effect...
DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that mediates diverse processes such as cellular differentiation, phenotypic plasticity, and genomic imprinting. Mounting evidence suggests local sequence variation can be associated with particular states, indicating the interplay between genetic factors may contribute synergistically to complexity of organisms. Social insects ants, bees, wasps have extensive plasticity manifested in their different castes, this has been methylation....
Abstract The presence of DNA methylation marks within genic intervals, also called gene body methylation, is an evolutionarily‐conserved epigenetic hallmark animal and plant methylomes. In social insects, thought to contribute behavioural plasticity, for example between foragers nurse workers, by modulating expression. However, recent studies have suggested that the majority sequence‐specific, therefore cannot act as a flexible mediator environmental cues To address this paradox, we examined...
Restricted reproduction is traditionally posited as the defining feature of eusocial insect workers. The discovery worker in foreign colonies challenges this view and suggests that workers’ potential to pursue selfish interests may be higher than previously believed. However, whether such reproductive behaviour truly relies on a decision still unknown. Workers’ decisions thus need investigated assess extent options. Here, we show bumblebee Bombus terrestris drifting distinct strategy by...
Understanding the mechanisms allowing invasive species to adapt novel environments is a challenge in invasion biology. Many invaders demonstrate rapid evolution of behavioural traits involved range expansion such as locomotor activity, exploration and risk-taking. However, molecular that underpin these changes are poorly understood. In 86 years, cane toads (Rhinella marina) Australia have drastically expanded their geographic westward from coastal Queensland Western Australia. During...
Polyandrous social insects such as the honey bee are prime candidates for parental manipulation of gene expression in offspring. Although there is good evidence parent-of-origin effects bees epigenetic mechanisms that underlie these remain a mystery. Small RNA molecules miRNAs, piRNAs and siRNAs play important roles transgenerational inheritance regulation during development.Here we present first characterisation small RNAs reproductive tissues: ovaries, spermatheca, semen, fertilised...
Context-dependent decision-making conditions individual plasticity and is an integrant part of alternative reproductive strategies. In eusocial Hymenoptera (ants, bees wasps), the discovery worker parasitism recently challenged view workers as a homogeneous collective entity stressed need to consider them autonomous units capable elaborate choices which influence their fitness returns. The decisions thus be investigated taken into account understand regulation reproduction in insect...
Inbreeding (the mating between closely related individuals) often has detrimental effects that are associated with loss of heterozygosity at overdominant loci, and the expression deleterious recessive alleles. However, determining which loci when homozygous, extent their phenotypic effects, remains poorly understood. Here, we utilize a unique inbred population clonal (thelytokous) honey bees, Apis mellifera capensis, to determine reduce individual fitness homozygous. This asexual arose from...
The Kinship Theory of Genomic Imprinting (KTGI) posits that, in species where females mate with multiple males, there is selection for a male to enhance the reproductive success his offspring at expense other males and mating partner. Reciprocal crosses between honey bee subspecies show parent-of-origin effects traits, suggesting that modify expression genes related female function their offspring. This effect likely be greater Cape (Apis mellifera capensis), because male's daughters have...
Ants, an ecologically successful and numerically dominant group of animals, play key ecological roles as soil engineers, predators, nutrient recyclers, regulators plant growth reproduction in most terrestrial ecosystems. Further, ants are widely used bioindicators the impact land use. We gathered information ant species Atlantic Forest South America. The ATLANTIC ANTS data set, which is part SERIES papers, a compilation records from collections (18,713 records), unpublished (29,651 published...
Hymenoptera are haplodiploid: females arise from fertilized, diploid eggs, while males unfertilized, haploid eggs. The cytogenetic mechanisms underlying haplodiploidy enable remarkable phenomena including female cloning, male cloning and gynandromorphy (sex mosaics). We collected 11 newly emerged putative gynandromorph honeybees a single colony, assessed the sex of various tissues morphologically determined genetic origin (maternal or paternal) each tissue by genotyping. Ten bees were...
1. The ecological success of social insects lies in their ability to prevent the exploitation colony resources by competitors or parasites. Nestmate recognition is therefore crucial importance maintaining integrity colony. Furthermore, inter‐colony competitive relationships are often complex, as many species discriminate between neighbours and strangers, with reduced (the dear enemy phenomenon) increased levels aggression towards nearby colonies, depending on species. In this context,...
Gene expression levels are key molecular phenotypes at the interplay between genotype and environment. Mounting evidence suggests that short-term changes in environmental conditions, such as those encountered captivity, can substantially affect gene levels. Yet, exact magnitude of this effect, how general it is, whether results parallel across populations not well understood. Here, we take advantage well-studied cane toad, Rhinella marina, to examine effect captivity on brain levels,...
Abstract Many organisms can adjust their development according to environmental conditions, including the presence of conspecifics. Although this developmental plasticity is common in amphibians, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Exposure during either ‘cannibal cues’ from older conspecifics, or ‘alarm injured causes reduced growth and survival cane toad ( Rhinella marina ) tadpoles. Epigenetic modifications, such as changes DNA methylation patterns, are a plausible...
Functional worker sterility is the defining feature of insect societies. Yet, workers are sometimes found reproducing in their own or foreign colonies. The proximate mechanisms underlying these alternative reproductive phenotypes keys to understanding how altruism and selfishness balanced eusocial insects. In this study, we show that honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies, social environment a worker, is, presence relatedness queens worker's natal colony surrounding significantly influences her...
The ability to clone oneself has clear benefits—no need for mate hunting or dilution of one's genome in offspring. It is therefore unsurprising that some populations haplo-diploid social insects have evolved thelytokous parthenogenesis—the virgin birth a female. But parthenogenesis downside: the loss heterozygosity (LoH) as consequence genetic recombination. LoH can be highly deleterious because female sex determination often relies on at sex-determining loci. two castes Cape honeybee, Apis...
ABSTRACT Parasites may suppress the immune function of infected hosts using microRNAs (miRNAs) to prevent protein production. Nonetheless, little is known about diversity miRNAs and their mode(s) action. In this study, we investigated effects infection by a parasitic lungworm ( Rhabdias pseudosphaerocephala ) on miRNA mRNA expression its host, invasive cane toad Rhinella marina ). To investigate toad's innate adaptive response parasite, compared in naïve toads that had never been lungworms...