Genomic Diversity in the Endosymbiotic Bacteria of Human Head Lice
Bret M Boyd,
Niyomi House,
Christopher W Carduck
et al.
Abstract:Insects have repeatedly forged symbioses with heritable microbes, gaining novel traits. For the microbe, the transition to symbioses can lead to the degeneration of the symbiont’s genome through transmission bottlenecks, isolation, and the loss of DNA repair enzymes. However, some insect-microbial symbioses have persisted for millions of years, suggesting natural selection slows genetic drift and maintains functional consistency between symbiont populations. By sampling in multiple countries, we examine genomi… Show more
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