J. N. Weber

Evolution of horn length and lifting strength in the Japanese rhinoceros beetle Trypoxylus dichotomus

The paper studies the evolution of horn length and lifting strength in Trypoxylus dichotomus, showing independent increases in horn length in Northern and Southern lineages with mechanical trade-offs and compensatory changes.

Population genomics of a threespine stickleback tapeworm in Vancouver Island

The paper examines genetic structuring in tapeworm populations and their fish hosts using ddRAD sequencing, finding greater genetic differentiation in fish than in tapeworms.

Evidence of divergent selection in a parasite due to its host immunological respond

The paper examines if fibrosis in threespine stickleback fish leads to divergent selection in its tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus by analyzing whole-genome sequences.

Evolution of a costly immunity to cestode parasites is a pyrrhic victory

The paper shows that freshwater stickleback populations evolved resistance to tapeworms through fibrosis, but this resistance reduced fecundity, leading to selection for a tolerant strategy with fibrosis suppression.

Immune gene expression covaries with gut microbiome composition in stickleback

The paper examines correlations between immune gene expression and gut microbiome composition in stickleback fish, identifying microbial families linked to immune processes.

A test of the Baldwin Effect: Differences in both constitutive expression and inducible responses to parasites underlie variation in host response to a parasite

This study tests the Baldwin Effect in stickleback fish resistance to a parasite, finding no support for the effect but highlighting the role of constitutive and inducible gene expression variation in host-parasite interactions.

Split-HaloTag Imaging Assay for Sophisticated Microscopy of Protein-Protein Interactions in planta

The paper introduces a Split-HaloTag imaging assay for studying protein-protein interactions in plants using advanced microscopy techniques.

Behavioural mechanisms underlying the evolution of cooperative burrowing in Peromyscus mice

The paper investigates how Peromyscus mice adapt their burrowing behavior when digging individually versus with partners, finding that cooperative digging results in longer burrows due to increased social cohesion in opposite-sex pairs.

Landscape genomics of an obligate mutualism: discordant population structures between a leafcutter-ant and its fungal cultivars

This study examines landscape genomics of a leafcutter ant and its fungal cultivars, finding discordant population structures between the host and symbiont due to differences in genetic drift and gene flow.

Recent evolution of cestode growth suppression by threespine stickleback

This study shows threespine stickleback evolved heritable differences in suppressing cestode growth, with low-infection populations dramatically reducing parasite size compared to high-infection populations.