Symbiotic Relationships as Shapers of Biodiversity

This research topic looks at the link between host and symbiont diversity, and how traditional approaches to characterizing these communities rely on DNA sequencing. It also examines how soil nutrient characteristics, such as pH and nitrogen availability, influence fungal communities. Additionally, the research looks at the effects of extreme weather events on phosphorus uptake by plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, as well as the influence of microbial symbionts on their host species.

The research looks at the evolutionary advantage of Vibrionaceae, which can live freely in the environment or in symbiosis with Eukarya, as well as the protective effect of endosymbionts on the pea aphid. It also examines how abiotic variation can influence the evolution of bacterial strains, and how strain-level genetic variation can influence the outcome of host-symbiont interactions.

The research also looks at the effect of individual bird ID on microbial communities, the consequences of metabolic symbiosis on species coexistence, the distinct microbiome associated with seagrass, and the impact of symbiosis on host immunity. Additionally, it examines the effects of thermal stress and nutrient pollution on coral microbiomes.