KLS/CRC 1182 Lecture: Prof. Dr. Brendan Bohannan (University of Oregon) (live event)

KLS/CRC 1182 Lecture

Tuesday, 3rd May 2022, 4:00 pm

Center for Molecular Biosciences (ZMB)
Seminar room 4th floor
Am Botanischen Garten 11

As guest of the CRC 1182 & KLS

Prof. Dr. Brendan Bohannan

University of Oregon, Humboldt-Research Prize Awardee,
currently visiting scientist at the CRC 1182 at Kiel University

Talks about:

Incorporating Microbiomes into Quantitative Genetics

Recent research has resulted in a new appreciation for the fact that plants and animals (including humans) have a rich assemblage of associated microorganisms, collectively known as their microbiome, which can contribute important physiological functions. Such microbiomes can exhibit extraordinary variation in composition across individuals, and it is not clear how such variation arises or how it contributes to variation in health, physiology or fitness. The sciences of ecology and evolution are uniquely poised to address questions regarding host-microbiomes because they explicitly consider the drivers of biological variation. In particular, my group has been exploring how approaches from the field of Quantitative Genetics may be especially useful for understanding host-microbiomes.

The field of quantitative genetics comprises a rich set of mathematical theory describing the evolution of continuous organismal traits over time. Quantitative genetics may contribute to our understanding of host-microbiomes in two ways. First, microbiomes (and their specific attributes) can be considered quantitative traits, and the drivers of microbiome variation can be quantified using approaches from quantitative genetics. I will provide examples of this approach, including those in which the “heritability” of microbiome attributes has been quantified. Second, microbiomes can act, not as traits themselves, but as sources of variation in other host-level traits.  I will provide examples of how microbiome effects can be incorporated into existing quantitative genetics models, and I will use the resulting models to demonstrate that the degree to which microbiomes contribute to host-level traits may depend on microbiome assembly dynamics. These results suggest that integrating quantitative genetics theory with community assembly theory may ultimately be required if we are to fully understand how microbiomes contribute to host physiology, fitness and evolution.

We would be delighted if as many of you as possible could attend the lecture on site, but those who are unable to come can join us via zoom.
Register in advance for this Zoom webinar:
https://uni-kiel.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iXSptDmFQZKvDycvQPbTHg

After the talk there will be a get-together at the restaurant Güterbahnhof (Tonberg 15, 24113 Kiel), everyone is invited. Please register, if you would like to join the get-together: