EEB Seminar. This event is part of our ongoing Thursday Seminar Series.
PREVIEW: Many animal and plant species harbour microbes in their microbiota that suppress pathogen infection. These ‘protective microbes’ can be a significant component of host defence. By experimentally evolving multiple microbial systems (e.g., worms, bacteria), my group has demonstrated that host-associated microbes can rapidly evolve to defend their animal hosts against infection. We show these protective microbes can drive major changes in pathogen virulence and host genetic-based resistance, as well as evolutionary rates. Our results indicate that microbes in hosts are important in shaping infection outcomes, now and over evolutionary time.
SPEAKER WEBSITE: thekinglab.com