T. F. Cooper

Mutations in iclR increase evolvability by facilitating compensation that exposes cryptic beneficial mutations in experimental populations of Escherichia coli

This study shows that mutations in iclR increase evolvability in E. coli by allowing compensatory mutations to expose beneficial variants when transferred to a new environment.

Interactions with a phage gene underlie costs of a β-lactamase

This study identifies a phage gene, relAP1, as responsible for host-dependent fitness costs of a β-lactamase gene, blaTEM-116*, in Escherichia coli strains.

Costs of antibiotic resistance genes depend on host strain and environment and can influence community composition

This study quantifies the fitness costs of six antibiotic resistance genes across 11 Escherichia strains in two environments, showing that costs vary by host strain and environment, and can influence community composition.

From individual behaviors to collective outcomes: fruiting body formation in Dictyostelium as a group-level phenotype

This study investigates how genetic and geographic diversity among strains of Dictyostelium discoideum affects the morphology and productivity of their collective fruiting bodies.

Bacterial evolution in high osmolarity environments

This study evolves Escherichia coli in high osmolarity environments and finds that adaptation strategies vary by osmolyte, with specific mutations improving fitness in certain conditions.