Brendan Epstein

This study shows rhizobia adapt independently to soil and legume host environments, but soil conditions affect the abundance of high-quality nitrogen-fixing strains.

This study investigates how host mutations affect rhizobial fitness by inoculating Medicago truncatula mutants with Sinorhizobium meliloti strains, revealing host-by-strain interactions and identifying key rhizobial genes involved in fitness responses.

The paper examines host selectivity and adaptive strain enrichment in legume-rhizobia symbiosis, finding host genetic variation affects strain selectivity and nodule morphology correlates with mutualism dynamics.

This study identifies that horizontal gene transfer, copy number, and enhanced expression of the Mer operon confer mercury tolerance in rhizobia, with implications for plant-metal interactions.