John H. Werren
The Global Wolbachia Pandemic: Implications to Evolution

April 16, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Myers 130

Host: The Institute for Advanced Study and the CGB

Description:
Wolbachia are among the most abundant intracellular parasites on the planet, infecting upwards of 65 percent of insects, as well as many other invertebrates. The implications of these bacteria to evolution are potentially profound, although still controversial. In particular, a key question is whether Wolbachia accelerate adaptive evolution and speciation in their hosts. The speaker will explore this topic, including recent evidence of widespread transfer of Wolbachia DNA into animal genomes, and its potential implications.

John (Jack) H. Werren is Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester. His is one of the leading experts on the evolutionary biology of parasitic DNA, intracellular bacteria, and the genetics of parasitic wasps. His research area encompasses evolutionary genetics and genomics; symbiosis and host-parasite evolution; genetics of speciation and development; genome evolution; parasitic DNA; behavioral genetics; sex ratio selection; and sex determining mechanisms. During his visit to the Institute, April 7-27, 2008, Professor Werren will collaborate with his primary sponsors, John Colbourne in the Center of Genomics & Bioinformatics and Peter Cherbas in Biology at IUB, and with colleagues in Biology on the genome-level studies of the Arsenophonus microbe and of the parasitic wasp Nasonia, the host insect. For more information contact John Colbourne or Peter Cherbas at the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, or Ivona Hedin at the Institute for Advanced Study, 812-855-3658.