Publications by authors named "P L Frandsen"
Nearly all animals exhibit a preferred period of daily activity (diel-niche), strongly influenced by the light environment. Vision is a sensory system that is strongly adapted to light, and evolutionary transitions to novel light environments can impose strong constraints on eye evolution, color, and motion vision. While the genetic and neural basis of visual adaptation are well-studied in a few model systems, our understanding across the tree of life remains incomplete.
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- Penstemons are flowering plants native to the Rocky Mountains, often used in urban landscaping, but elite varieties struggle with abiotic stresses like drought and salinity.
- Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) is more resilient to these stresses and can hybridize with other penstemon species, offering a way to create more tolerant cultivars.
- Researchers sequenced the genome of a firecracker penstemon from Utah and additional accessions, creating the most complete penstemon genome assembly so far.
Article Synopsis
- Geographic and environmental factors, particularly temperature, significantly influence the microbial communities in wild flies more than geographic location does.
- The microbiota composition varies based on diet, with wild flies showing different microbiota profiles depending on the type of food consumed, rather than simply reflecting their diet.
- Findings suggest that the interaction between the flies’ dietary habits, microbiota, and genetic differences contributes to local adaptation and evolution, especially in a single-orchard ecosystem.
Ghost moths are an unusual family of primitive moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) known for their large body size and crepuscular adult activity. These moths represent an ancient lineage, frequently have soil dwelling larvae, and are adapted to high elevations, deserts, and other extreme environments. Despite being rather speciose with more than 700 species, there is a dearth of genomic resources for the family.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEstablishing the genetic and geographic structure of populations is fundamental, both to understand their evolutionary past and preserve their future. Nevertheless, the patterns of genetic population structure are unknown for most endangered species. This is the case for bonobos (Pan paniscus), which, together with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), are humans' closest living relatives.
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