M. Gerth

Rapid divergence in independent aspects of the compatibility phenotype in the Spiroplasma/Drosophila interaction.

This study shows that a symbiont can have different compatibility traits with closely related host species, highlighting the independent evolution of pathology, transmission, and protection.

The dirty north: Evidence for multiple colonisations and Wolbachia infections shaping the genetic structure of the widespread butterfly Polyommatus icarus in the British Isles

This study investigates the genetic structure of Polyommatus icarus butterflies in the British Isles, finding evidence for multiple colonisations and Wolbachia infections shaping their mtDNA and genomic diversity.

Rapid molecular evolution of Spiroplasma symbionts of Drosophila

This study examines the rapid molecular evolution of Spiroplasma poulsonii, showing high substitution rates and structural genomic differences between strains.

Neglecting model selection alters phylogenetic inference

The paper reanalyzes previous findings on model selection in phylogenetics, arguing that model selection consistently affects phylogenetic estimates, contrary to earlier claims.

Is Anopheles gambiae a natural host of Wolbachia?

The paper reanalyzes evidence of Wolbachia presence in Anopheles gambiae and concludes that current data are insufficient to confirm natural infections.

Microbial composition of enigmatic bird parasites: Wolbachia and Spiroplasma are the most important bacterial associates of quill mites (Acari: Syringophilidae)

The paper uses 16S amplicon sequencing to analyze bacterial communities in quill mites, identifying Wolbachia and Spiroplasma as key symbionts and finding no evidence for previously reported Anaplasma.

Infections patterns and fitness effects of Rickettsia and Sodalis symbionts in the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

This study identifies Rickettsia and a novel Sodalis strain in green lacewings, showing Sodalis reduces reproductive success while Rickettsia has no significant fitness effect.

A critical re-evaluation of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) efforts in Wolbachia

This study re-evaluates the effectiveness of MLST markers for Wolbachia strain typing and finds they are outperformed by other genomic loci, suggesting whole genome approaches are better.