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1,737 results for “host data”
Data from: Convergent shifts in host-associated microbial communities across environmentally elicited phenotypes
Morphological plasticity is a genotype-by-environment interaction that enables organisms to increase fitness across varying environments. Symbioses with diverse microbiota may aid in acclimating to this variation, but whether the associated bacteria community is phenotype-specific remains unstudied. Here we induce morphological plasticity in three species of sea urchins and measure changes in the associated bacterial community. While each host species had unique microbial communities, the expression of morphological plasticity resulted in the convergence for a phenotype-specific microbiome that was, in part, driven by differentially associating with α- and γ-proteobacteria. Furthermore, these results suggest that phenotype-specific signatures were the product of the environment, and are correlated with ingestive and digestive structures. By manipulating diet quantity over time, we also support that differentially associating with microbiota along a phenotypic continuum is bidirectional. Taken together, our data support the idea of a phenotype-specific microbial community and that phenotypic plasticity extends beyond a genotype-by-environment interaction.
Data from: Asymmetries affecting aggressive contests between solitary parasitoids: the effect of host species
<p>Conflicts in animals are usually resolved based on asymmetries, where contest winners are often those that value a resource the most and/or those who have the greatest potential to retain it. In parasitoid wasps, contests between females determine which individual exploits hosts for offspring production. Previous studies on solitary parasitoids rarely considered the role of biotic factors generating phenotypic variation that could influence the strength of asymmetries. Some parasitoid species parasitize host species of various sizes, producing offspring that vary considerably in size and potentially fighting ability. In this study, we reared the egg endoparasitoid Telenomus podisi (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) on two host species to measure the effect of body size on contest resolution and how it interacts with ownership and resource value asymmetries. Our results showed that ownership status best predicts final contest outcome when similar sized wasps fight over hosts. The frequency and outcomes of individual fights structuring contests were better explained by the difference in the number of eggs laid in the hosts by each female at a given time. When contestants varied in body size, larger intruders frequently dislodged small owners regardless of ownership and resource value asymmetries. These results imply that body size is an important factor to consider in solitary parasitoid contests and that it can overshadow the effects of other asymmetries. Our study suggests that host community diversity could have a direct effect on parasitoid contests and that biotic communities, through their effects on animal phenotypes, may play an underrated role in contest resolution.</p>
Data from: Trait-based variation in host contribution to pathogen transmission across species and resource supplies
<p>Two key knowledge gaps currently limit the development of more predictive and general models of pathogen transmission: (1) the physiological basis of heterogeneity in host contribution to pathogen transmission (reservoir potential) remains poorly understood, and (2) a general means of integrating the ecological dynamics of host communities has yet to emerge. If the traits responsible for differences in reservoir potential also modulate host community dynamics, these traits could be used to predict pathogen transmission as host communities change. In two greenhouse experiments, across 23 host species and two levels of resource supply, the reservoir potential of plant hosts increased significantly along the Leaf Economic Spectrum, a global axis of plant physiological trait covariation that features prominently in models of plant community ecology. This indicates that the traits of the Leaf Economic Spectrum underlie broad differences in reservoir potential across host species and resource supplies. Therefore, host traits could be used to integrate epidemiological models of pathogen transmission with ecological models of host community change.</p>
SAPPAN: Combined Network and Host Data
<p>The data were acquired from a small simulated environment consisting of one Windows host (host data collection) and a router that observes all network traffic passing to the host. Two attack scenarios were performed in these small simulated environments, and data relevant to these attacks were extracted and further processed. In the case, the attack scenario was based on the Drupal web application's vulnerability, which enabled downloading and running of a malicious code that provided a remote shell to the attacker. In the case, the scenario was based on the old version of the Samba file-sharing that was vulnerable to Eternalblue attack allowing to execute commands and provide a remote shell to the attacker. </p> <p>The dataset is divided into separate directories according to the attacks contained. In the case of the Drupal vulnerability scenario, datasets from a failed and successful attempt to exploit the vulnerability are included. Four datasets were created during individual phases of SMB file sharing vulnerability scenario. Each directory contains a normalized network traffic capture and corresponding host data in preformatted JSON.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Drupal Vulnerability Scenario</strong></p> <p>The attack scenario is based on an old Drupal server (v 8.5.0) with known vulnerability CVE-2018-7600 (also called Drupalgeddon). This vulnerability is exploited by an attacker to remotely run code and gain access to the vulnerable server via a remote shell. This connection is realized by the Meterpreter trojan of type python/meterpreter/reverse_tcp. The binary is created by Metasploit generator msfvenom and obfuscated using the attacker's custom obfuscation technique to bypass windows antivirus. The created binary file is delivered to the victim host using remote code execution in Drupal, based on which the "finger" command is executed to download the payload from the payload delivery server and C2 server. This trojan is then launched by an attacker using additional commands injected through the Drupal vulnerability. Once launched, it automatically establishes a connection with the attacker (remote shell) through the payload delivery and C2 server. As a result, the attacker gains full access to the system and can execute any commands (in the scenario, only the "whoami" command is executed).</p> <p>Two datasets were generated during the scenario and its preparation. The first was obtained during the preparatory work when the server's defense mechanisms blocked an attacker's attempt to download the file (a command "MpCmdRun.exe" is used instead of the "finger" command). The second dataset contains a complete attack performed after modifying the executed commands to overcome the mentioned defense mechanisms.</p> <p><strong>Samba File Sharing Vulnerability Scenario</strong></p> <p>The attack scenario is based on an unpatched Windows 7 host with known vulnerability CVE-2017-0144 (also called EternalBlue). The scenario is divided into four parts covering the individual phases of the attack and failed exploitation attempts. In the first part, the attacker performs a scan of open ports on the client device and verifies if the SMB file sharing service is vulnerable to the EternalBlue attack. In the next phase, the attacker unsuccessfully tries to exploit the vulnerability using a standard Metasploit module. This procedure does not result in a remote connection. In the third phase, a specialized exploit is used to attack the service using previously known credentials. In the fourth phase, the attacker tried another script to make the scenario more complex, enabling the attack to be performed without credentials.</p> <p>For each mentioned phase, a separate dataset was generated, capturing all events in the form of packet traces and corresponding host data.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dataset Features</strong></p> <p>In the case of packet capture, the dataset contains standard PCAP files containing all captured packets, including the complete application layer.</p> <p>The raw host data were reduced to contain only the following attributes:</p> <ul> <li><em>event_id</em> - unique Identifier of the event, assigned by a preprocessor</li> <li><em>event_type</em> - a type of the event</li> <li><em>time_created</em> - time when the sensor recorded the event</li> <li><em>event_data</em> - event type-specific payload</li> </ul>
Data from: Egg laying rather than host quality or host feeding experience drives habitat estimation in the parasitic wasp Nasonia vitripennis
<p>In variable environments, sampling information on habitat quality is essential for making adaptive foraging decisions. In insect parasitoids, females foraging for hosts have repeatedly been shown to employ behavioral strategies that are in line with predictions from optimal foraging models. Yet, which cues exactly are employed to sample information on habitat quality, has rarely been investigated. Using the gregarious parasitoid <i>Nasonia vitripennis</i> (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), we provided females with different cues about hosts to elucidate, which of them would change a wasp's posterior behavior suggesting a change in information status. We employed posterior clutch size decisions on a host as proxy for a female's estimation of habitat quality. Taking into account changes in physiological state of the foraging parasitoid, we tested whether different host qualities encountered previously change the subsequent clutch size decision in females. Additionally, we investigated whether other kinds of positive experiences - such as ample time to investigate hosts, host feeding, or egg laying - would increase a wasp's estimated value of habitat quality. Contrary to our expectations, quality differences in previously encountered hosts did not affect clutch size decisions. However, we found that prior egg laying experience changes posterior egg allocation to a host, indicating a change in female information status. Host feeding and the time available for host inspection, though correlated with egg laying experience, did not seem to contribute to this change in information status.</p>
Data for: Coevolution fails to maintain genetic variation in a host-parasite model with constant finite population size
<p>Coevolutionary negative frequency-dependent selection has been hypothesized to maintain genetic variation in host and parasites. <br> Despite the extensive literature pertaining to host-parasite coevolution, the dynamics of genetic variation has not been examined in a matching-alleles model (MAM) with a finite population size relative to the expectation under neutral genetic drift alone. The dynamics of the MA coevolution in an infinite population, in fact, suggests that genetic variation in these coevolving populations behaves neutrally. By comparing host heterozygosity to the expectation in a single-species model of neutral genetic drift we find that while this is also largely true in finite populations two additional phenomena arise. First, reciprocal natural selection acting on stochastic perturbations in host and pathogen allele frequencies results in a slight increase or decrease in genetic variation depending on the parameter conditions. Second, following the fixation of an allele in the parasite, selection in the MAM becomes directional, which then rapidly erodes genetic variation in the host. Hence, rather than maintain it, we find that, on average, matching-alleles coevolution depletes genetic variation.</p>
Data from: Multidimensional plasticity in the Glanville fritillary butterfly: larval performance is temperature, host and family specific
<p>Variation in environmental conditions during development can lead to changes in life-history traits with long-lasting effects. Here, we study how variation in temperature and host plant, i.e. the consequences of potential maternal oviposition choices, affects a suite of life-history traits in pre-diapause larvae of the Glanville fritillary butterfly. We focus on offspring survival, larval growth rates and relative fat reserves, and pay specific attention to intraspecific variation in the responses (GxExE). Globally, thermal performance and survival curves varied between diets of two host plants, suggesting that host modifies the temperature impact, or <i>vice versa</i>. Additionally, we show that the relative fat content has a host-dependent, discontinuous response to developmental temperature. This implies that a potential switch in resource allocation, from more investment in growth at lower temperatures to storage at higher temperatures, is dependent on the larval diet. Interestingly, a large proportion of the variance in larval performance is explained by differences among families, or interactions with this variable. Finally, we demonstrate that these family-specific responses to the host plant remain largely consistent across thermal environments. Altogether, the results of our study underscore the importance of paying attention to intraspecific trait variation in the field of evolutionary ecology.</p>
Data for: Feedback between coevolution and epidemiology can help or hinder the maintenance of genetic variation in host-parasite models
<p>Antagonistic coevolution has long been suggested to help maintain host genetic variation. While, ecological and epidemiological feedbacks are known to have important consequences on coevolutionary allele frequency dynamics, their effects on the maintenance of genetic variation remains poorly understood.Here, we extend our previous work on the maintenance of genetic variation in a classic matching-alleles coevolutionary model by exploring the effects of ecological and epidemiological feedbacks, where both allele frequencies and population sizes are allowed to vary over time. We find that coevolution rarely maintains more host genetic variation than expected under neutral genetic drift alone. When and if coevolution maintains or depletes genetic variation relative to neutral drift is determined, predominantly, by two factors: the deterministic stability of the Red Queen allele frequency cycles and the chance of allele fixation in the pathogen, as this results in directional selection and depletion of genetic variation in the host. Compared to purely coevolutionary models with constant host and pathogen population sizes, ecological and epidemiological feedbacks stabilize Red Queen cycles deterministically, but population fluctuations in the pathogen increase the rate of allele fixation in the pathogen, especially in epidemiological models. Our results illustrate the importance of considering the ecological and epidemiological context in which coevolution occurs when examining the impact of Red Queen cycles on genetic variation.</p>
Data from: Differing thermal sensitivities in a host-parasitoid interaction: high, fluctuating developmental temperatures produce dead wasps and giant caterpillars
<p>1. Insect parasitoids, and the arthropod hosts they consume during development, are important ecological players in almost all environments across the globe. As ectothermic organisms, both parasitoid and host are strongly impacted by environmental temperature. If thermal tolerances differ between host insect and parasitoid, then the outcome of their interaction will be determined by the ambient temperature. As mean temperatures continue to rise and extreme temperatures become more frequent, we must determine the effect of high temperature stress on host-parasitoid systems to predict how they will fare in the face of climate change.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacingCxSpMiddle">2. The majority of studies conducted on host-parasitoid systems focus on either performance under constant temperature, or a fixed metric of thermal tolerance (CT<sub>max</sub>) for individual organisms. However, performance at constant temperatures is not predictive of performance under ecologically relevant, fluctuating temperatures, and measurements of thermal thresholds provide little information regarding the effects of temperature throughout development. We address this by testing the effects of increasing mean temperature in both constant and fluctuating (±10°C) environments throughout development on the performance of the parasitoid wasp <i>Cotesia congregata</i> and its lepidopteran larval host, <i>Manduca sexta.</i></p> <p class="MsoNoSpacingCxSpLast">3. The growth of <i>M. sexta</i> was influenced by mean temperature, diurnal fluctuations, and parasitization status. Caterpillar growth rate increased with increasing mean temperature, but decreased in response to diurnal fluctuations and parasitization by <i>C. congregata </i>wasps.</p> <p>4. Wasp survival decreased with increasing mean temperature, and diurnal fluctuations decreased wasp survival, especially at higher mean temperatures. Diurnal fluctuations at our highest mean temperature treatment (30°C±10°C) resulted in complete wasp mortality, and parasitized hosts displayed abnormal physiology, wherein they failed to exhibit wasp emergence, did not enter the prepupal stage, continued to feed, and grew up to two-fold larger than a normal, unparasitized caterpillar.</p> <p>5. Our results indicate hosts and parasitoids in this system have different thermal tolerances during development; the parasitoid wasp suffered complete mortality at a temperature regime that is mildly stressful for the unparasitized caterpillar host species. Our findings suggest <i>C. congregata </i>will suffer more severely under increasing temperatures than <i>M. sexta</i>, with cascading trophic and ecological effects.</p>
Raw data from: Dysregulation of host-control causes interspecific conflict over host investment into symbiotic organs
Microbial mutualists provide substantial benefits to hosts that feed back to enhance fitness of the associated microbes. In many systems, beneficial microbes colonize symbiotic organs, specialized host structures that house symbionts and mediate resources exchanged between parties. Mutualisms are characterized by net benefits exchanged among members of different species, however inequalities in the magnitude of these exchanges could result in evolutionary conflict, destabilizing the mutualism. We investigated joint fitness effects of root nodule formation, the symbiotic organ of legumes that house nitrogen-fixing rhizobia in planta. We quantified host and symbiont fitness parameters dependent on the number of nodules formed using near isogenic Lotus japonicus and Mesorhizobium loti mutants, respectively. Empirically estimated fitness functions suggest that legume and rhizobia fitness is aligned as the number of nodules formed increases from zero until the host optimum is reached, a point where aligned fitness interests shift to diverging fitness interests between host and symbiont. However, fitness conflict was only inferred when analyzing wildtype hosts along with their mutants dysregulated for control over nodule formation. These data demonstrate that to avoid conflict, hosts must tightly regulate investment into symbiotic organs maximizing their benefit to cost ratio of associating with microbes.
Data from: Pliant pathogens: estimating viral spread when confronted with new vector, host, and environmental conditions
<p>1. Pathogen spread rates are determined, in part, by the performance of pathogens under altered environmental conditions and their ability to persist while switching among hosts and vectors.</p> <p>2. To determine the effects of new conditions (host, vector, and nutrient) on pathogen spread rate, we introduced a vector-borne, viral plant pathogen, Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus PAV (BYDV-PAV) into hosts, vectors, and host nutrient supplies that it had not encountered for thousands of viral generations. We quantified pathogen prevalence over the course of two serial inoculations under the new conditions. Using individual level transmission rates from this experiment, we parameterized a dynamical model of disease spread and projected spread across host populations through a growing season. </p> <p>3. A change in nutrient conditions (increased supply of phosphorus) reduced viral transmission whereas shifting to a new vector or host species had no effect on infection prevalence. However, the reduction in the new nutrient environment was only temporary; infection prevalence recovered after the second inoculation.</p> <p><i>4. Synthesis</i>. These results highlight how robust the pathogen, BYDV-PAV, is to changes in its biotic and abiotic environment. Our study also highlights the need to quantify longitudinal infection information beyond snapshot assessments to project disease risk for pathogens in new environments.</p>
Data from: Reduced skin bacterial diversity correlates with increased pathogen infection intensity in an endangered amphibian host
The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infects the skin of amphibians, and has caused severe declines and extinctions of amphibians globally. In this study, we investigate the interaction between Bd and the bacterial skin microbiome of the endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Rana sierrae, using both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Samples were collected from two populations of R. sierrae that likely underwent Bd epizootics in the past, but that continue to persist with Bd in an enzootic disease state, and we address the hypothesis that such "persistent" populations are aided by mutualistic skin microbes. Our 16S rRNA metabarcoding data reveal that the skin microbiome of highly infected juvenile frogs is characterized by significantly reduced species richness and evenness, and by strikingly lower variation between individuals, compared to juveniles and adults with lower infection levels. Over 90% of DNA sequences from the skin microbiome of highly infected frogs were derived from bacteria in a single order, Burkholderiales, compared to just 54% in frogs with lower infection levels. In a culture-dependent Bd-inhibition assay, the bacterial metabolites we evaluated all inhibited the growth of Bd. Together, these results illustrate the disruptive effects of Bd infection on host skin microbial community structure and dynamics, and suggest possible avenues for the development of anti-Bd probiotic treatments.
Data from: Serratia marcescens Shapes Cutaneous Bacterial Communities and Influences Survival of an Amphibian Host
A changing understanding of the functional interactions between microbial communities and their associated hosts is influencing how disease is perceived and ameliorated. Of the numerous host-microbiome-disease systems of study, the emergence of chytridiomycosis in anurans (caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, hereafter Bd), has been implicated in ongoing declines and extinction events of amphibians across the planet. Interestingly, there has been differential survival among amphibians in resisting Bd infection and subsequent disease. One factor thought to contribute to this resistance is the host-associated cutaneous microbiota. This has raised the possibility of utilizing genetically modified probiotics to restructure the host-associated microbiota for desired anti-fungal outcomes. Here, we utilize a previously described strain of Serratia marcescens (Sm) for manipulation of amphibian cutaneous microbiota. Sm was genetically altered to have a dysfunctional pathway for the production of the extracellular metabolite prodigiosin. This genetically altered strain (Δpig) and the functional prodigiosin producing strain (WT-pig) were compared for their microbial community and anti-Bd effects both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Bd growth was significantly repressed in the presence of prodigiosin. In vivo, the inoculation of both Sm strains was shown to significantly influence amphibian microbiota diversity with the Δpig-Sm treatment showing increasing α-diversity, and the WT-pig S. marcescens having no temporal effect on diversity. Differences were also seen in host mortality with Δpig-Sm exhibiting significantly decreased survival probability as compared to a no¬-Sm control in the presence of Bd. These results are important evidence for the potential of genetic-level manipulation of bacteria in a host microbial community, which may provide a way to alter disease outcomes and address critical frontiers in disease and microbial ecology.
Data from: Does sex-biased dispersal account for the lack of geographic and host-associated differentiation in introduced populations of an aphid parasitoid?
Host recognition and use in female parasitoids strongly relies on host fidelity, a plastic behavior which can significantly restrict the host preferences of parasitoids, thus reducing the gene flow between parasitoid populations attacking different insect hosts. However, the effect of migrant males on the genetic differentiation of populations has been frequently ignored in parasitoids, despite its known impact on gene flow between populations. Hence, we studied the extent of gene flow mediated by female and male parasitoids by assessing sibship relationships among parasitoids within and between populations, and its impact on geographic and host-associated differentiation in the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi. We report evidences of a high gene flow among parasitoid populations on different aphid hosts and geographic locations. The high gene flow among parasitoid populations was found to be largely male mediated, suggested by significant differences in the distribution of full-sib and paternal half-sib dyads of parasitoid populations.
Data from: Entangled fates of holobiont genomes during invasion: nested bacterial and host diversities in Caulerpa taxifolia
Successful prevention and mitigation of biological invasions requires retracing the initial steps of introduction, as well as understanding key elements enhancing the adaptability of invasive species. We studied the genetic diversity of the green alga Caulerpa taxifolia and its associated bacterial communities in several areas around the world. The striking congruence of α and ß diversity of the algal genome and endophytic communities reveals a tight association, supporting the holobiont concept as best describing the unit of spreading and invasion. Both genomic compartments support the hypotheses of a unique accidental introduction in the Mediterranean and of multiple invasion events in Southern Australia. In addition to helping with tracing the origin of invasion, bacterial communities exhibit metabolic functions that can potentially enhance adaptability and competitiveness of the consortium they form with their host. We thus hypothesize that low genetic diversities of both host and symbiont communities may contribute to the recent regression in the Mediterranean, in contrast with the persistence of highly diverse assemblages in southern Australia. This study supports the importance of scaling up from the host to the holobiont for a comprehensive understanding of invasions.
Data from: Co-occurrence among three divergent plant-castrating fungi in the same silene host species
The competitive exclusion principle postulates that different species can only coexist in sympatry if they occupy distinct ecological niches. The goal of this study was to understand the geographical distribution of three species of Microbotryum anther-smut fungi that are distantly related but infect the same host plants, the sister species Silene vulgaris and S. uniflora, in western Europe. We used microsatellite markers to investigate pathogen distribution in relation to host specialization and ecological factors. Microbotryum violaceo-irregulare was only found on S. vulgaris at high elevations in the Alps. Microbotryum lagerheimii could be subdivided into two genetically differentiated clusters, one on S. uniflora in the UK and the second on S. vulgaris in the Alps and Pyrenees. The most abundant pathogen species, M. silenes-inflatae, could be subdivided into four genetic clusters, co-occurring in the Alps, the UK and the Pyrenees, and was found on both S. vulgaris and S. uniflora. All three fungal species had high levels of homozygosity, in agreement with the selfing mating system generally observed in anther-smut fungi. The three pathogen species and genetic clusters had large range overlaps, but occurred at sites with different elevations, temperatures and precipitation levels. The three Microbotryum species thus do not appear to be maintained by host specialization or geographic allopatry, but instead may occupy different ecological niches in terms of environmental conditions.
Data from: Nitrogen fertilization differentially enhances nodulation and host growth of two invasive legume species in an urban environment
Invasive plants negatively impact native communities by altering ecosystem processes and reducing species diversity. Plants in the legume family are overrepresented among invasive taxa and establish in disturbed environments common in urban ecosystems. Mutualisms with rhizobia and anthropogenic activities, such as nitrogen fertilization, may be key mechanisms driving legume invasions of urban habitats. Moreover, legume species and genetic lineages within species may vary in their responses to nitrogen fertilization, making some more likely to invade than others. Despite this threat, it remains unclear whether nitrogen fertilization impacts mutualism and plant growth traits of invasive legumes in urban environments, and whether these effects depend on the genetic origin of invaders. We conducted a common garden experiment using two widespread, invasive legume species, Medicago sativa and Trifolium pratense, to test the effects of species, genetic origin of lineages within species, and nitrogen fertilization on the mutualism. Soil nitrogen was manipulated and effects on traits associated with the mutualism (nodule traits) and plant growth were quantified. Nitrogen fertilization improved nodule traits and host growth for both species, but M. sativa and certain genetic lineages of this species benefited more from fertilization than any of the tested T. pratense lineages. This work reveals how anthropogenic activities alter mutualism traits and plant growth in urban environments, potentially facilitating invasions by leguminous taxa. Because species and lineages varied in the strength of their responses to fertilization, over time some invading legumes may outcompete other plant species or lineages, leading to differential impacts on native communities in urban environments.
Data from: Inverse dispersal patterns in a group of ant parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae: Oraseminae) and their ant hosts
When postulating evolutionary hypotheses for diverse groups of taxa using molecular data, there is a tradeoff between sampling large numbers of taxa with a few Sanger sequenced genes or sampling fewer taxa with hundreds to thousands of next-generation sequenced genes. High taxon sampling enables the testing of evolutionary hypotheses that are sensitive to sampling bias (i.e. dating, biogeography, and diversification analyses), whereas high character sampling improves resolution of critical nodes. In a group of ant parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae: Oraseminae), we analyze both of these types of datasets independently (203 taxa with 5 Sanger loci; 92 taxa with 348 Anchored Hybrid Enrichment loci) and in combination (229 taxa, 353 loci) to explore divergence dating, biogeography, host relationships, and differential rates of diversification. Oraseminae specialize as parasitoids of the immature stages of ants in the subfamily Myrmicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with ants in the genus Pheidole being their most common and presumed ancestral host. A general assumption is that the distribution of the parasite must be limited by any range contraction or expansion of its host. Recent studies support a single New World to Old World dispersal pattern for Pheidole approximately 11–22 Ma. Using multiple phylogenetic inference methods (parsimony, maximum likelihood, dated Bayesian, and coalescent analyses), we provide a robust phylogeny showing that Oraseminae dispersed in the opposite direction, from Old World to New World, approximately 24–33 Ma, which implies that they existed in the Old World prior to their presumed ancestral hosts. Their dispersal into the New World appears to have promoted an increased diversification rate. Both the host and parasitoid show single unidirectional dispersals in accordance with the presence of the Beringian Land Bridge during the Oligocene, a time when the changing northern climate likely limited the dispersal ability of such tropically adapted groups.
Data from: Molecular signatures of host specificity linked to habitat specialization in Exaiptasia sea anemones.
Rising ocean temperatures associated with global climate change induce breakdown of the symbiosis between coelenterates and photosynthetic microalgae of the genus Symbiodinium. Association with more thermotolerant partners could contribute to resilience, but the genetic mechanisms controlling specificity of hosts for particular Symbiodinium types are poorly known. Here we characterize wild populations of a sea anemone laboratory model system for anthozoan symbiosis, from contrasting environments in Caribbean Panama. Patterns of anemone abundance and symbiont diversity were consistent with specialization of holobionts for particular habitats, with Exaiptasia pallida/S. minutum (ITS2 type B1) abundant on vertical substrate in thermally stable, shaded environments but E. brasiliensis/Symbiodinium sp. (ITS2 clade A) more common in shallow areas subject to high temperature and irradiance. Population genomic sequencing revealed a novel E. pallida population from the Bocas del Toro Archipelago that only harbors S. minutum. Loci most strongly associated with divergence of the Bocas-specific population were enriched in genes with putative roles in cnidarian symbiosis, including activators of the complement pathway of the innate immune system, thrombospondin-type-1 repeat domain proteins, and coordinators of endocytic recycling. Our findings underscore the importance of unmasking cryptic diversity in natural populations and the role of long-term evolutionary history in mediating interactions with Symbiodinium.
Data from: Epidemic and endemic pathogen dynamics correspond to distinct host population microbiomes at a landscape scale
Infectious diseases have serious impacts on human and wildlife populations, but the effects of a disease can vary, even among individuals or populations of the same host species. Identifying the reasons for this variation is key to understanding disease dynamics and mitigating infectious disease impacts, but disentangling cause and correlation during natural outbreaks is extremely challenging. This study aims to understand associations between symbiotic bacterial communities and an infectious disease, and examines multiple host populations before or after pathogen invasion to infer likely causal links. The results show that symbiotic bacteria are linked to fundamentally different outcomes of pathogen infection: host–pathogen coexistence (endemic infection) or host population extirpation (epidemic infection). Diversity and composition of skin-associated bacteria differed between populations of the frog, Rana sierrae, that coexist with or were extirpated by the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Data from multiple populations sampled before or after pathogen invasion were used to infer cause and effect in the relationship between the fungal pathogen and symbiotic bacteria. Among host populations, variation in the composition of the skin microbiome was most strongly predicted by pathogen infection severity, even in analyses where the outcome of infection did not vary. This result suggests that pathogen infection shapes variation in the skin microbiome across host populations that coexist with or are driven to extirpation by the pathogen. By contrast, microbiome richness was largely unaffected by pathogen infection intensity, but was strongly predicted by geographical region of the host population, indicating the importance of environmental or host genetic factors in shaping microbiome richness. Thus, while both richness and composition of the microbiome differed between endemic and epidemic host populations, the underlying causes are most likely different: pathogen infection appears to shape microbiome composition, while microbiome richness was less sensitive to pathogen-induced disturbance. Because higher richness was correlated with host persistence in the presence of Bd, and richness appeared relatively stable to Bd infection, microbiome richness may contribute to disease resistance, although the latter remains to be directly tested.
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.