Herbivory, defined as feeding on live plant tissues, is characteristic of highly successful and
diverse groups of insects and represents an evolutionarily derived mode of feeding. Plants …

Starting in 2006, surprisingly tiny genomes have been discovered from numerous bacterial
symbionts of insect hosts. Despite their size, each retains some genes that enable …

Bacteriocytes are host cells specialized to harbor symbionts in certain insect taxa. The
adaptation, development, and evolution of bacteriocytes underlie insect symbiosis …

Bacteria confined to intracellular environments experience extensive genome reduction. In
extreme cases, insect endosymbionts have evolved genomes that are so gene-poor that …

The role of symbiosis in bacterial symbiont genome evolution is well understood, yet the
ways that symbiosis shapes host genomes or more particularly, host/symbiont genome …

Polyphenism, in which multiple discrete phenotypes develop from a single genotype, is
considered to have contributed to the evolutionary success of aphids. Of the various …

Organisms across the tree of life colonize novel environments by partnering with bacterial
symbionts. These symbioses are characterized by intimate integration of host/endosymbiont …

The symbiosis between rhizobia soil bacteria and legumes is facultative and initiated by
nitrogen starvation of the host plant. Exchange of signal molecules between the partners …

DNA repair systems are essential to maintain genome integrity and stability. Some obligate
endosymbionts that experience long-term symbiosis with the insect hosts, however, have …

Endosymbiotic associations have played a major role in evolution. However, the molecular
basis for the biochemical interdependence of these associations remains poorly understood …