This study constructs a comprehensive phylogenomic tree of avian feather lice using 260 samples and 2,395 genes, resolving higher-level relationships and providing a framework for future comparative studies.

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society · Sep 1, 2026Peer-reviewedEvolutionary Biology

Independent and repeated acquisition of endosymbiotic bacteria across the diversification of feather lice

Juliana Soto‐Patiño, Kimberly K. O. Walden, Jorge Doña, Lorenzo Mario D'alessio, Sarah E. Bush, Dale H. Clayton, Colin Dale, Kevin P. Johnson

The paper investigates the distribution and evolutionary history of Sodalis bacteria in feather lice, finding independent and repeated acquisitions across different louse clades.

Royal Society Open Science · Sep 1, 2025Peer-reviewedEvolutionary Biology

Mitochondrial genome fragmentation is correlated with increased rates of molecular evolution

Tomáš Najer, Jorge Doña, Aleš Buček, Andrew D. Sweet, Oldřich Sychra, Kevin P. Johnson

The paper examines mitochondrial genome fragmentation in parasitic lice, finding higher molecular evolution rates and gene rearrangements in fragmented mitogenomes.

PLoS Genetics · May 3, 2024Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology

Genome-resolved metagenomic analyses reveal the presence of a bacterial endosymbiont in an avian nasal mite (Rhinonyssidae; Mesostigmata)

Carolina Osuna‐Mascaró, Jorge Doña, Kevin P. Johnson, Manuel de Rojas

The paper investigates the microbiome of an avian nasal mite, identifying a bacterial endosymbiont from Class Alphaproteobacteria.

Microorganisms · Aug 14, 2021Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology