Since 2017, LAQErs have been investigating the evolutionary ecology of water-borne zoonotes, including Buruli Ulcer. Buruli Ulcer is caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, an actinobacteria closely related to those that cause Tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and Leprosy (M. leprae). Mycobacterium ulcerans can be considered a descendant of Mycobacterium marinum, a common pathogen of fishes and other aquatic vertebrates. However, M. ulcerans has acquired a unique plasmid that enables production of Mycolactone, a macrolide toxin responsible for increased virulence across a broad range of vertebrate hosts, including humans. We recently applied a new genotyping protocol to document M. ulcerans in the Gulf of Mexico. Click here for details.

LAQErs are actively investigating how microbes shape ecological and evolutionary processes in trophic networks. One line of research explores the maternal gut as a source of both probiotics and bacteriophages for offspring, not only in mammals but also in other groups that rely on maternal provisioning. We view maternal microbiota as an adaptive mechanism that influences immunity, digestion, and early development. Another focus examines whether mycobacteria and their metabolites, such as the toxin mycolactone, bioaccumulate in aquatic food webs. We are especially interested in how these associations may intersect with harmful algal blooms and red tides, where microbial interactions could amplify ecological and health risks. By studying these processes, we aim to better understand how microbes function as both beneficial partners and environmental stressors across ecosystems.

In collaboration with partners at Mississippi State, we are seeking to identify arthropod-borne pathogens of agricultural importance. This includes studies targetting Anaplasma in ticks and Mycobacterium in mosquitoes of the southeastern United States.

In collaboration with academic and agency partners, we examine how energy budgets shape adaptation in extreme environments. Our work on cave-adapted sculpins, amblyopsid cavefishes, and nemacheilid loaches shows repeated evolutionary changes to the electron transport chain, reflecting metabolic adjustments to life in darkness and nutrient scarcity. These shifts parallel reductions in costly traits like vision and pigmentation, highlighting trade-offs that optimize survival underground. By integrating genomics and physiology, we are uncovering how natural selection rewires cellular energetics during extreme ecological transitions.