Hassan Salem has been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The project, SYMBIVORE, will explore why beetles lose genes - only to rely on symbionts instead. SYMBIVORE will take flight in 2026 for a funding period of five years. There will be a number of opportunities to join the lab, so please watch this space for announcements!
Lab dinner
Breaking bread in Tübingen!
New publication: Convergent nutritional symbioses in leaf beetles
How do animals compensate for trait loss? In beetles, symbiosis is a consistent strategy. Where the repeated loss of endogenous digestive enzymes is offset by functionally convergent symbioses. Excited to share our latest in Current Biology - part of a large collaborative effort, and co-led by Roy Kirsch, Yu Okamura, and Marleny Garcia-Lozano!
New publication: Microbial bases of herbivory in beetles
Microbes shaped one of the most successful ecological radiations in animals: the herbivorous diversification of beetles. Marleny and Hassan review the topic for Trends in Microbiology in our latest!
