Mobile genetic elements are key to the evolution of bacteria and traits that affect host and
ecosystem health. Here, we use a framework of a hierarchical and modular system that …

The first genome sequenced of a eukaryotic organism was for Saccharomyces cerevisiae,
as reported in 1996, but it was more than 10 years before any of the zygomycete fungi …

The global diversity of fungi has been estimated between 2 to 11 million species, of which
only about 155 000 have been named. Most fungi are invisible to the unaided eye, but they …

Copy number variation (CNV) can drive rapid evolution in changing environments. In
microbial pathogens, such adaptation is a key factor underpinning epidemics and …

Accessory genes are variably present among members of a species and are a reservoir of
adaptive functions. In bacteria, differences in gene distributions among individuals largely …

Heavy metals (HMs) have become a major environmental pollutant threatening ecosystems
and human health. Although hyperaccumulators provide a viable alternative for the …

Transposable elements in eukaryotic organisms have historically been considered “selfish,”
at best conferring indirect benefits to their host organisms. The Starships are a recently …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) disseminates genetic information between species and is a
powerful mechanism of adaptation. Yet, we know little about its underlying drivers in …

To date, most reports of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in fungi rely on genome sequence
data and are therefore an indirect measure of HGT after the event has occurred. However, a …

While increased mutation rates typically have negative consequences in multicellular
organisms, hypermutation can be advantageous for microbes adapting to the environment …