Catriona Munro

A Chromosome-Scale Genome of Nanomia septata Reveals Extensive Rearrangement But No Clear Driver of the Unique Colony-Level Organization of Siphonophores

The paper sequenced the chromosome-scale genome of Nanomia septata, revealing genome rearrangements and expansion but no clear genomic drivers for siphonophore colony-level organization.

The evolution of an individual-like dispersive stage in colonial siphonophores

This study investigates the mechanism of eudoxid release in siphonophores, showing it involves muscle evolution and colony modification, leading to an individual-like dispersal stage that contributes to ecological success.

Global genomics of the man-o'-war (Physalia) reveals biodiversity at the ocean surface

The paper sequences 133 Physalia genomes and analyzes citizen-science images to reveal five distinct lineages and four species, with geographic population structure and long-distance dispersal.

Conserved meiotic mechanisms in the cnidarian Clytia hemisphaerica revealed by Spo11 knockout

This study shows that Spo11 knockout in Clytia hemisphaerica disrupts meiotic synapsis and chromosome segregation, revealing conserved meiotic mechanisms across eukaryotes.

Pairwise comparisons across species are problematic when analyzing functional genomic data

The paper reanalyzes two studies comparing gene expression across species, showing that pairwise comparisons can mislead conclusions about evolutionary processes by ignoring species relationships.