Background |
“Inherited microbes” is a term for bacteria that live inside other organisms and are vertically transmitted from host to offspring (e.g., transovarially). This lifestyle has evolved independently among many different lineages of bacteria. Generally, these bacteria are highly specialized on their environment and cannot permanently live outside a host organism. The degree of specialization varies considerably. Some inherited microbes are adapted to a single host species, in which their presence is often essential, while others may invade a wide spectrum of host taxa, for which the symbiosis is generally facultative.
From an evolutionary perspective, such associations are very interesting, as they result in bilateral effects: the microbes impact their hosts biology and vice versa. Prominent examples of microbial impact on host biology are sex-ratio distorters, i.e., bacteria that manipulate the reproduction of their hosts, thereby facilitating their own spreading. Other symbionts have been shown to be beneficial, by providing nutrients or protection from pathogens. Impacts on bacterial biology are usually more difficult to measure, but may be traced by analyzing symbiont genomes. Typically, genomes of inherited microbes are become streamlined over evolutionary timescales and their gene repertoire is greatly reduced in comparison to free-living microbes. My research is focused on inherited microbes of arthropods, mainly insects. Please see below for details on past and current projects. |
Projects
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