Genome Streamlining: Effect of Mutation Rate and Population Size on Genome Size Reduction.

Genome streamlining, i.e. genome size reduction, is observed in bacteria with very different life traits, including endosymbiotic bacteria and several marine bacteria, raising the question of its evolutionary origin.

Detecting the ecological footprint of selection.

The structure of communities is influenced by many ecological and evolutionary processes, but the way these manifest in classic biodiversity patterns often remains unclear. Here we aim to distinguish the ecological footprint of selection-through competition or environmental filtering-from that of neutral processes that are invariant to species identity. We build on existing Massive Eco-evolutionary Synthesis Simulations (MESS), which uses information from three biodiversity axes-species abundances, genetic diversity, and trait variation-to distinguish between mechanistic processes.

Forward-in-time simulation of chromosomal rearrangements: The invisible backbone that sustains long-term adaptation.

While chromosomal rearrangements are ubiquitous in all domains of life, very little is known about their evolutionary significance, mostly because, apart from a few specifically studied and well-documented mechanisms (interaction with recombination, gene duplication, etc.), very few models take them into account. As a consequence, we lack a general theory to account for their direct and indirect contributions to evolution.