Are there classes of genes that cannot be productively transmitted by phages (that is, cannot be transduced)?
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Are there classes of genes that cannot be productively transmitted by phages (that is, cannot be transduced)?
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Posted on August 29, 2019 at 12:26 AM in Talmudic Questions | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Elio | Lichens are said to occupy an astounding 6% of the surface of Earth’s land mass, so pay attention. As you are well aware, lichens arise by the symbiotic interaction of fungi and algae (or sometimes cyanobacteria). And as you know, they consist of separate individuals of the two partners, each benefiting from the interaction. Read more →
Posted on August 26, 2019 at 01:55 AM in Fungi, Odds & Ends, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Christoph | When you've followed our posts on symbioses between animals and bacteria over the last two years or so, you could have easily got the impression that they occur mainly between insects and Gammaproteobacteria from the order Enterobacterales of this large and diverse phylum. This impression would be skewed but only because our choice of topics was! Read more →
Posted on August 22, 2019 at 01:57 AM in Evolution, Physiology & Genetics, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Elio
Best I can tell, the marine flatworms Paracatenula suggest a novel twist on symbiosis. Here, symbiotic bacteria do not just provide carbon compounds for their host but actually store them. And they do that also for energy...
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Posted on August 18, 2019 at 11:51 PM in Ecology, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Roberto | A few weeks ago, I found myself aimlessly exploring the garden of the Palace of Holyroodhouse (Edinburgh, Scotland), which has served as the principal residence of the Kings and Queens of Scots since the 16th century. Read more →
Posted on August 15, 2019 at 04:00 AM in Odds & Ends, Pictures Considered | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Lizah van der Aart | Last year, Gilles van Wezel and Changsheng Wu announced the discovery of a compound with a completely novel chemical backbone, Lugdunomycin. This is an exceptional feat as we hardly find compounds with completely novel chemical structures. This is even more incredible if you consider how it was found. Bacteria don't always... Read more →
Posted on August 12, 2019 at 12:24 AM in Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Elio | Very high on the list of this world's vital symbioses are the mycorrhizae, the association of fungal filaments with plant rootlets. About 90% of all vascular plants (from ferns on up) possess them. They contribute greatly to the health of the plants, being a major source of nitrogen, salts, and water... Read more →
Posted on August 08, 2019 at 12:00 AM in Ecology, Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Sumedha Ravishankar and Ian Robbins | Microbes facilitate untold biological processes, from digestion in the tiny gut of an insect to running our planet’s biogeochemical cycles. These microscopic beings truly are the quiet puppeteers of our lives. And it makes sense that they would be, since unicellular life has been on Earth for about 3.5 billion years, Read more →
Posted on August 05, 2019 at 12:20 AM in Evolution, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)
by Elio | The digestive system of animals can be wondrously complex. Think of our own, which consists of such diverse organs as the mouth, the esophagus, stomach, the small and large intestines, and the anus. Each one is responsible for a particular set of functions. Is such a division of labor also seen in "simpler" animals? This question was asked recently of wood-feeding beetles by a group of no less than 18 investigators from all over the US. Read more →
Posted on August 01, 2019 at 04:00 AM in Ecology, Physiology & Genetics, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)