Molecular Ecology

Local adaptation represents the first step to speciation and therefore to biological diversification. Elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying this process therefore constitutes a key question in the field of evolutionary biology. Mutations as well as chromosome rearrangements have been shown to be involved in this evolutionary process. However, to what extent other sources of genetic variation influence the evolution of natural populations remains poorly understood. To this regard, the aim of our project is to better understand how transposable element activation contributes to the evolution of natural populations, using Brachypodium distachyon as a model.

• Genome-wide scans of selection highlight the impact of biotic and abiotic constraints in natural populations of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon
  Bourgeois, Y; Stritt, C; Walser, JC; Gordon, SP; Vogel, JP; Roulin, AC
  PLANT JOURNAL, 96 (2):438-451; 10.1111/tpj.14042 OCT 2018
• Recent Activity in Expanding Populations and Purifying Selection Have Shaped Transposable Element Landscapes across Natural Accessions of the Mediterranean Grass Brachypodium distachyon 
  Stritt, Christoph; Gordon, Sean P.; Wicker, Thomas; et al. 
  GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 10 (1): 304-318 10.1093/gbe/evx276 JAN 2018
• Extensive gene content variation in the Brachypodium distachyon pan-genome correlates with population structure 
  Gordon, Sean P.; Contreras-Moreira, Bruno; Woods, Daniel P.; et al. 
  NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 8: 10.1038/s41467-017-02292-8 DEC 19 2017
• Parasitism drives host genome evolution: Insights from the Pasteuria ramosa-Daphnia magna system 
  Bourgeois, Yann; Roulin, Anne C; Mueller, Kristina; et al. 
  EVOLUTION, 71 (4): 1106-1113 APR 2017 Article (Details)
• Combined effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids and parasite exposure on eicosanoid-related gene expression in an invertebrate model 
  Schlotz, N., Roulin, A.C., Ebert, D. et al.
  COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, 201: 115-123 NOV 2016 Article (Details)
• A Photoreceptor Contributes to the Natural Variation of Diapause Induction in Daphnia magna 
  Roulin, Anne C.; Bourgeois, Yann; Stiefel, Urs; et al. 
  MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 33 (12): 3194-3204 10.1093/molbev/msw200 DEC 2016
• High genetic variation in resting-stage production in a metapopulation: Is there evidence for local adaptation?
  Associated Data
  Roulin, Anne C.; Mariadassou, Mahendra; Hall, Matthew D.; Walser, JC; Haag, C; Ebert, D
  EVOLUTION 69(10): 2747-2756 10.1111/evo.12770  OCT 2015

• Genome evolution
• Transposable elements
• Local adaptation
• Genetic diversity

• Population genomics
• Ecology
• Bio-informatics