We tested the effects of circadian temperature fluctuations on a series of thermal plasticity traits in a model of adaptive seasonal plasticity, the Bicyclus anynana butterfly.
Within-host bacterial adaptations are generally focused on antibiotic resistance, rarely on the adaptation to the environment given by the host, and the potential trade-off hindering adaptations to each step of the infection are rarely considered. Using Drosophila melanogaster as host and the bacteria Xenorhabdus nematophila, we studied those trade-offs that are key to understand intra-host evolution, and thus the dynamics of the infection.
We found that, in black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) chicks, associations between MHC class-II diversity and fitness vary with sex and hatching order.
To understand the mechanisms of antagonistic coevolution, it is crucial to identify the genetics of parasite resistance. Using QTL approach, we discovered a second P. ramosa attachment site and a novel host-resistance locus, with implications for both for the coevolutionary dynamics (e.g., Red Queen and the role of recombination), and for the evolution and epidemiology of the infection process.
Using GWAS with the Drosophila Reference Genetic Panel (DGRP) found the genetic basis of the resistance to Parathion and Deltamethrin, two commonly used insecticides.
Using GWAS in Drosophila, we determined the genetic basis of thermal plasticity of thorax and abdomen size. Variations of plasticity between those body parts were explained by completely different set of genes.
Distinct life stages can represent drastically different environments for parasites especially when larval and adult life stages are bridged by a complete metamorphosis. We showed that systemic infection with an extracellular bacterium can transverse life stages.