Rachel L. Dockman

Niche specialization and cross-feeding interactions shaping gut microbial fiber degradation in a model omnivore

This study investigates how gut microbial communities in cockroaches degrade xylan and cellulose using synthetic diets and identifies niche specialization and cross-feeding interactions.

Genome Report: Improved chromosome-level genome assembly of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana

The paper presents a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, using PacBio and Hi-C data, improving upon previous incomplete references.

Purified fibers in chemically defined synthetic diets destabilize the gut microbiome of an omnivorous insect model

The paper shows that purified fibers in synthetic diets reduce gut microbial diversity and alter phylogenetic composition in cockroaches, compared to whole-food diets.