ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2236-430X
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Publisher: Microbiology Society
Date: 12-09-2022
Abstract: Four strains, SG5_A10 T , SGEP1_A5 T , SG4_D2 T , and SG4_A1 T , were isolated from the honey or homogenate of Australian stingless bee species Tetragonula carbonaria and Austroplebeia australis . Based on 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, core gene phylogenetics, whole genome analyses such as determination of amino acid identity (AAI), cAAI of conserved genes, average nucleotide identity (ANI), and digital DNA–DNA hybridization (dDDH), chemotaxonomic analyses, and the novel isolation sources and unique geography, we propose three new species and one genus with the names Apilactobacillus apisilvae sp. nov. (SG5_A10 T = LMG 32133 T = NBRC 114991 T ), Bombilactobacillus thymidiniphilus sp. nov. (SG4_A1 T = LMG 32125 T = NBRC 114984 T ), Bombilactobacillus folatiphilus sp. nov. (SG4_D2 T = LMG 32126 T = NBRC 115004 T ) and Nicolia spurrieriana sp. nov. (SGEP1_A5 T = LMG 32134 T = NBRC 114992 T ). Three out of the four strains were found to be fructophilic, where SG5_A10 T and SGEP1_A5 T belong to obligately fructophilic lactic acid bacteria, and SG4_D2 T representing a new type denoted here as kinetically fructophilic. This study represents the first published lactic acid bacterial species associated with the unique niche of Australian stingless bees.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-11-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2020
Publisher: The Royal Society
Date: 15-04-2020
Abstract: Island biogeography explores how bio ersity in island ecosystems arises and is maintained. The topographical complexity of islands can drive speciation by providing a ersity of niches that promote adaptive radiation and speciation. However, recent studies have argued that phylogenetic niche conservatism, combined with topographical complexity and climate change, could also promote speciation if populations are episodically fragmented into climate refugia that enable allopatric speciation. Adaptive radiation and phylogenetic niche conservatism therefore both predict that topographical complexity should encourage speciation, but they differ strongly in their inferred mechanisms. Using genetic (mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)) and morphological data, we show high species ersity (22 species) in an endemic clade of Fijian Homalictus bees, with most species restricted to highlands and frequently exhibiting narrow geographical ranges. Our results indicate that elevational niches have been conserved across most speciation events, contradicting expectations from an adaptive radiation model but concordant with phylogenetic niche conservatism. Climate cycles, topographical complexity, and niche conservatism could interact to shape island bio ersity. We argue that phylogenetic niche conservatism is an important driver of tropical island bee bio ersity but that this phylogenetic inertia also leads to major extinction risks for tropical ectotherms under future warming climates.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 12-07-2019
DOI: 10.1038/S41576-019-0152-0
Abstract: Billions of hectares of natural ecosystems have been degraded through human actions. The global community has agreed on targets to halt and reverse these declines, and the restoration sector faces the important but arduous task of implementing programmes to meet these objectives. Existing and emerging genomics tools offer the potential to improve the odds of achieving these targets. These tools include population genomics that can improve seed sourcing, meta-omics that can improve assessment and monitoring of restoration outcomes, and genome editing that can generate novel genotypes for restoring challenging environments. We identify barriers to adopting these tools in a restoration context and emphasize that regulatory and ethical frameworks are required to guide their use.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/MEC.16034
Abstract: There is substantial debate about the relative roles of climate change and human activities on bio ersity and species demographies over the Holocene. In some cases, these two factors can be resolved using fossil data, but for many taxa such data are not available. Inferring historical demographies of taxa has become common, but the methodologies are mostly recent and their shortcomings often unexplored. The bee genus Homalictus is developing into a tractable model system for understanding how native bee populations in tropical islands have responded to past climate change. We greatly expand on previous studies using sequences of the mitochondrial gene COI from 474 specimens and between 171 and 3928 autosomal (DArTSeq) single nucleotide polymorphism loci from 19 specimens of the native Fijian bee, Homalictus fijiensis, to explore its historical demography using coalescent and mismatch analyses. We ask whether past changes in demography were human- or climate-driven, while considering analytical assumptions. We show that inferred changes in population sizes are too recent to be explained by past climate change. Instead we find that a dramatic increase in population size for the main island of Viti Levu coincides with increasing occupation by humans and their modification of the environment. We found no corresponding change in bee population size for another major island, Kadavu, where human populations and agricultural activities have been historically very low. Our analyses indicate that molecular approaches can be used to disentangle the impacts of humans and climate change on a major tropical pollinator and that stringent analytical approaches are required for reliable interpretation of results.
Location: Australia
Location: Australia
No related grants have been discovered for Scott Groom.