Evolution of flowering time in a selfing annual plant: Roles of adaptation and genetic drift.

Resurrection studies are a useful tool to measure how phenotypic traits have changed in populations through time. If these trait modifications correlate with the environmental changes that occurred during the time period, it suggests that the phenotypic changes could be a response to selection. Selfing, through its reduction of effective size, could challenge the ability of a population to adapt to environmental changes.

Linking the maximum reported life span to the aging rate in wild birds.

Dozens of surrogates have been used to reflect the rate of aging in comparative biology. For wild organisms, the maximum reported life span is often considered a key metric. However, the connection between the maximum reported life span for a single individual and the aging rate of that species is far from clear.

Characterization of black spot resistance in diploid roses with QTL detection, meta-analysis and candidate-gene identification.

Two environmentally stable QTLs linked to black spot disease resistance in the Rosa wichurana genetic background were detected, in different connected populations, on linkage groups 3 and 5. Co-localization between R-genes and defense response genes was revealed via meta-analysis. The widespread rose black spot disease (BSD) caused by the hemibiotrophic fungus Diplocarpon rosae Wolf.

Quantifying rapidly declining abundance of insects in Europe using a paired experimental design.

The abundance of insects has decreased for the last decades in many parts of the world although so far few studies have quantified this reduction because there have only been few baseline studies dating back decades that have allowed comparison of ancient and recent population estimates. Such a paired design is particularly powerful because it reduces or eliminates bias caused by differences in identity and experience of observers, identity of study sites, years, time of season, and time of day, and it ensures identity of sampling procedures. Here, I compiled information on the reduction in abundance of insects in Europe and Algeria by the same persons compiling the abundance of insects from the same 21 study sites during 1951-1997 and again a second time in 1998-2018.

Holocene extinctions of a top predator-Effects of time, habitat area and habitat subdivision.

Loss of habitat and changes in the spatial configuration of habitats are major drivers of species extinctions, but the responses to these drivers differ between organisms. To advance theory on how extinction risk from different types of habitat alteration relates to species-specific traits, there is a need for studies of the long-term extinction dynamic of individual species. The goal of this study was to quantify how habitat area and the spatial configuration of habitats affect extinction rate of an aquatic top predator, the northern pike Esox lucius L.

Sex in the city: sexual selection and urban colonization in passerines.

Urbanization leads to a rapid and drastic transformation of habitats, forcing native fauna to manage novel ecological challenges or to move. Sexual selection is a powerful evolutionary force, which is sometimes predicted to enhance the ability of species to adapt to novel environments because it allows females to choose high-quality males, but other times is predicted to reduce the viability of populations because it pushes males beyond naturally selected optima. However, we do not know whether or how sexual selection contributes to the likelihood that animals will establish in urban areas.

A new inducible CRISPR-Cas9 system useful for genome editing and study of double-strand break repair in Candida glabrata.

In recent years, the CRISPR-Cas9 system has proven extremely useful for genome editing in many species, including the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other yeast species such as Candida glabrata. Inducible CRISPR-Cas9 systems have the additional advantage of allowing to separate the transformation step of the organism by the CRISPR-Cas9 system, from the cutting and repair steps. This has indeed been developed in S.

André Goffeau's imprinting on second generation yeast "genomologists".

All authors of the present paper have worked in labs that participated to the sequencing effort of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae reference genome, and we owe to this the fact that we have all chosen to work on genomics of yeasts. S. cerevisiae has been a popular model species for genetics since the 20th century as well as being a model for general eukaryotic cellular processes.

Genomes shed light on the secret life of Candida glabrata: not so asexual, not so commensal.

Candida glabrata is an opportunistic yeast pathogen, whose incidence has increased over the last decades. Despite its genus name, this species is actually more closely related to the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae than to other Candida pathogens, such as Candida albicans. Hence, C.

Control of the ethylene signaling pathway prevents plant defenses during intracellular accommodation of the rhizobia.

Massive intracellular populations of symbiotic bacteria, referred to as rhizobia, are housed in legume root nodules. Little is known about the mechanisms preventing the development of defense in these organs although genes such as SymCRK and DNF2 of the model legume Medicago truncatula are required for this control after rhizobial internalization in host nodule cells. Here we investigated the molecular basis of the symbiotic control of immunity.

Patterns of Genomic Variation in the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida glabrata Suggest the Existence of Mating and a Secondary Association with Humans.

Candida glabrata is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that ranks as the second most common cause of systemic candidiasis. Despite its genus name, this yeast is more closely related to the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae than to other Candida pathogens, and hence its ability to infect humans is thought to have emerged independently. Moreover, C.

Cryptococcal antigen detection in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid.

Cryptococcal antigen (CryAg) testing in serum and CSF is a clue diagnostic tool for cryptococcosis. In this study, we reviewed the performances of the CryAg detection (Premier EIA, Meridian) routinely performed in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) during a 7-year period (2007-2013). CryAg was detected in 12 cases among 4650 BALF analyzed, while positive culture from BALF was detected in nine cases.

Combining noninvasive genetics and a new mammalian sex-linked marker provides new tools to investigate population size, structure and individual behaviour: An application to bats.

Monitoring wild populations is crucial for their effective management. Noninvasive genetic methods provide robust data from individual free-ranging animals, which can be used in capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models to estimate demographic parameters without capturing or disturbing them. However, sex- and status-specific behaviour, which may lead to differences in detection probabilities, is rarely considered in monitoring.

Molecular basis of African yam domestication: analyses of selection point to root development, starch biosynthesis, and photosynthesis related genes.

Background: After cereals, root and tuber crops are the main source of starch in the human diet. Starch biosynthesis was certainly a significant target for selection during the domestication of these crops. But domestication of these root and tubers crops is also associated with gigantism of storage organs and changes of habitat.

Cancer: A disease at the crossroads of trade-offs.

Central to evolutionary theory is the idea that living organisms face phenotypic and/or genetic trade-offs when allocating resources to competing life-history demands, such as growth, survival, and reproduction. These trade-offs are increasingly considered to be crucial to further our understanding of cancer. First, evidences suggest that neoplastic cells, as any living entities subject to natural selection, are governed by trade-offs such as between survival and proliferation.

General and specific combining abilities in a maize (Zea mays L.) test-cross hybrid panel: relative importance of population structure and genetic divergence between parents.

General and specific combining abilities of maize hybrids between 288 inbred lines and three tester lines were highly related to population structure and genetic distance inferred from SNP data. Many studies have attempted to provide reliable and quick methods to identify promising parental lines and combinations in hybrid breeding programs. Since the 1950s, maize germplasm has been organized into heterotic groups to facilitate the exploitation of heterosis.

Association mapping for phenology and plant architecture in maize shows higher power for developmental traits compared with growth influenced traits.

Plant architecture, phenology and yield components of cultivated plants have repeatedly been shaped by selection to meet human needs and adaptation to different environments. Here we assessed the genetic architecture of 24 correlated maize traits that interact during plant cycle. Overall, 336 lines were phenotyped in a network of 9 trials and genotyped with 50K single-nucleotide polymorphisms.

Genome scan reveals selection acting on genes linked to stress response in wild pearl millet.

Uncovering genomic regions involved in adaption is a major goal in evolutionary biology. High-throughput sequencing now makes it possible to tackle this challenge in nonmodel species. Yet, despite the increasing number of methods targeted to specifically detect genomic footprints of selection, the complex demography of natural populations often causes high rates of false positive in gene discoveries.

Testing the link between genome size and growth rate in maize.

Little is known about the factors driving within species Genome Size (GS) variation. GS may be shaped indirectly by natural selection on development and adaptative traits. Because GS variation is particularly pronounced in maize, we have sampled 83 maize inbred lines from three well described genetic groups adapted to contrasted climate conditions: inbreds of tropical origin, Flint inbreds grown in temperate climates, and Dent inbreds distributed in the Corn Belt.

Association mapping for cold tolerance in two large maize inbred panels.

Background: Breeding for cold tolerance in maize promises to allow increasing growth area and production in temperate zones. The objective of this research was to conduct genome-wide association analyses (GWAS) in temperate maize inbred lines and to find strategies for pyramiding genes for cold tolerance. Two panels of 306 dent and 292 European flint maize inbred lines were evaluated per se and in testcrosses under cold and control conditions in a growth chamber.

SNP discovery and genetic mapping using genotyping by sequencing of whole genome genomic DNA from a pea RIL population.

Background: Progress in genetics and breeding in pea still suffers from the limited availability of molecular resources. SNP markers that can be identified through affordable sequencing processes, without the need for prior genome reduction or a reference genome to assemble sequencing data would allow the discovery and genetic mapping of thousands of molecular markers. Such an approach could significantly speed up genetic studies and marker assisted breeding for non-model species.

Recombination patterns in maize reveal limits to crossover homeostasis.

During meiotic recombination, double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed in chromosomal DNA and then repaired as either crossovers (COs) or non-crossovers (NCOs). In most taxa, the number of DSBs vastly exceeds the number of COs. COs are required for generating genetic diversity in the progeny, as well as proper chromosome segregation.