The evolution of symbiosis in cockroaches: a genomic and phylogenetic perspective
- Date: Sep 12, 2016
- Time: 01:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
- Speaker: Professor Nathan Lo
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney
- Location: FB Biologie
- Room: Kleiner Hörsaal
- Host: Prof. Dr. Andreas Brune
- Contact: brune@mpi-marburg.mpg.de
Cockroaches are an ancient group of insects that includes ~4500 species plus the eusocial termites (~3000 species). All cockroaches and the relictual termite Mastotermes darwiniensis are infected by the obligate intracellular symbiont Blattabacterium cuenoti, which is passed from mother to all offspring. Blattabacterium has been co-evolving with its hosts for ~150 million years. In this talk I will discuss our work on Blattabacterium genomes, which aims to understand how these bacteria evolve in response to changes in host biology. I will also discuss recent work looking at the extent of congruence between phylogenetic trees estimated for termites and their gut symbionts.