How specific are heritable symbioses?

And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?

We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!

1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

*correct link
Very excited to share a preprint from stellar lab postdoc, Dr. Younghwan Kwak.

“Intrahost mutational dynamics parallel long-term genome evolution in endosymbionts”

Cool, skillful work and a nifty story!
#symbiosis #insects #evolution

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Microbial determinants of behaviour in herbivorous beetles (SALEM_J26DTP) | Doctoral Training Partnership Many animals rely on beneficial microbes for nutrition, defence, or reproduction. In this project, the student will explore an exciting new dimension of these relationships:

There’ll be several opportunities to join the group, starting w/ a PhD studentship via the BBSRC-NRP Doctoral Training Partnership.

Team up w/ us, @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social & @berasymbionts.bsky.social to answer how microbes shape insect behavior:
biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/mic...

Ecological stoichiometry of mountain pine beetle, its mutualist fungi, and the disease white pine blister rust in whitebark pine - Oecologia Ecological stoichiometry can help clarify how symbionts and other co-occurring organisms mediate nutrient deficiencies for hosts. We used ecological stoichiometry (comparisons of elemental composition...

We have a new one out!
Six, D.L., Alverson, H. & Bullington, L. Ecological stoichiometry of mountain pine beetle, its mutualist fungi, and the disease white pine blister rust in whitebark pine. Oecologia 207, 176 (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s004...

From beginning to end: the synecology of tree‐killing bark beetles, fungi, and trees Over a century of research has revealed an amazing complexity of behaviours and physiological adaptations that allow tiny bark beetles to overcome large trees, sometimes resulting in outbreaks that k...

From beginning to end: the synecology of tree‐killing bark beetles, fungi, and trees - Six - Biological Reviews - Wiley Online Library 😁WE HAVE A NEW ONE OUT. Two years in the making. Give it a look!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Super fun collaboration with Diana Percy and Patrick Degnan.
#symbiosis #genome evolution #psyllids #Bvitamins

Evolution of Wolbachia male-killing mechanism within a host species Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecolog…

@haraipapilio.bsky.social paper on evolution of Wolbachia MK mechanism through prophage acquisition in molina butterflies - avoiding suppression by the host. Now out! #symbiosky www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... With @daisukekageyama.bsky.social @bolinabug.bsky.social and others

I know this is a weird time to ask, but are there post doc positions in symbiosis available in the next year? I know a talented microscopy/microbiology student who is going to be on the job market soon. Open to work outside the US, but is an American student if that makes a difference🧪🦠

A dual insect symbiont and plant pathogen improves insect host fitness under arginine limitation | mBio Unlike obligate symbionts that are permanently associated with their hosts, facultative symbionts rarely show direct nutritional contributions, especially under nutrient-limited conditions. This study...

New study from my lab and former grad Dr. Kwak shows Liberibacter psyllaurous, a dual insect symbiont and plant pathogen, boosts psyllid fitness by providing essential nutrients like arginine. A rare case of nutritional benefits from non-obligate symbionts #symbiosis journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Base-modified nucleotides mediate immune signaling in bacteria Signaling from pathogen sensing to effector activation is a fundamental principle of cellular immunity. While cyclic (oligo)nucleotides have emerged as key signaling molecules, the existence of other ...

Base-modified nucleotides mediate immune signaling in bacteria www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1... #jcampubs

Excited for your psyllid content!!! Welcome

go.bsky.app/T8VUWCz

We're searching for a postdoc to study insect-microbe symbiosis in our lab at UNC Chapel Hill. Application can be found here: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/295...

Applications are now open for fully-funded #PhD positions at the Max Planck Institute for Biology and Friedrich Miescher Laboratory. The new cohort starts September 2025.

Find out more about the projects you could be working on: www.phd.tuebingen.mpg.de
#IMPRS

Are you or do you know someone interested in symbiosis research? Anaeramoeba is an exciting organism to explore symbiosis in a low-oxygen environment.

Less than a week (December 6) to apply for the PhD position in my group!

uu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

Please share widely!

Still some time to apply. Please share the ad.

Department of Pathology, Chair University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!

The Department of Pathology at UC San Diego is hiring a new Department Chair!

We are comprised of basic, translational, and physician scientists working on cancer, neurological disease, microbial infection, and inflammatory disease. Please share & repost! 🧪 apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF03983

Genome dynamics across the evolutionary transition to endosymbiosis Endosymbiosis—where a microbe lives and replicates within a host—is an important contributor to organismal function that has accelerated evolutionary …

Fun new paper led by @greghurst.bsky.social &co using genomics to show that facultative symbiont genomes get bigger as they adapt to life inside a host (through HGT & loss of CRISPR) before undergoing genome reduction as they become obligate #symbiosky #microsky
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Careers Postdoctoral ResearcherSalary Range: $67,000-$79,000 USD per yearLocation: Onsite, UC DavisApplication Deadline: November 29, 2024

Post doc position of possible interest at UC Davis:

ohi.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/careers

On "ecological and environmental drivers of zoonotic virus emergence, transmission and circulation and the development of innovative technology and approaches for transdisciplinary pandemic research."

Applications are open for the Microbial Population Biology GRS and GRC!

The GRS is a fun day for grad students and postdocs to network before the full GRC starts, and is co-chaired this year by me and Laura Suttenfield

Get your applications in by Jan 15! #evosky 🦠🧪

www.grc.org/microbial-po...