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Consequences Of Host Life Cycles For Symbiont Genome Evolution, Ashley Elizabeth Dederich
Consequences Of Host Life Cycles For Symbiont Genome Evolution, Ashley Elizabeth Dederich
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Aphids are small insects that feed exclusively on plant sap, a notoriously low source of nutrients due to the high sugar content and low amino acid content. To make up for these deficiencies in nutrition, aphids harbor Buchnera aphidicola, a bacterial endosymbiont that resides in a specialized organ called the bacteriome. B. aphidicola provides essential amino acids and vitamins for the aphid in exchange for a safe place to live. Over the course of the symbiosis (established 160 million years ago), B. aphidicola has lost much of its genome, including essential genes for cell envelope synthesis, DNA replication and …