Belgium

Parasitised animals can differ dramatically in terms of their behaviour and cognitive performance from uninfected conspecifics. Yet, the causal direction of this relationship remains unclear: do parasites alter host behaviour/cognition, or do consistent differences in behaviour/cognition make hosts more susceptible to infection? We tackled these questions using wild-caught pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) to investigate the relationships among parasitism, behaviour and cognition. In a first study, we used fish body condition as a proxy for health status to help reveal correlations between parasites and host traits (i.e., exploration, boldness, cognition). Only individuals in relatively lower body condition displayed a negative relationship between parasite density and exploratory behaviours. However, there was no correlation between aversive learning, a measure of cognitive performance, and infection. Our results showed that body condition is important to consider when studying infection in wild populations as some patterns are only apparent when body condition is taken into consideration. In a second study, we measured exploration, activity, boldness and body condition before and after a semi-experimental infection using lake mesocosms where sunfish were naturally exposed to parasites. We found that behaviour strongly influenced infection susceptibility: bolder and less active fish acquired a higher density of parasites during the infection period. Following infection, fish body condition decreased with increasing cestode density, and activity decreased with increasing trematode density, suggesting that co-infection negatively impact hosts. These results highlight that two mechanisms may simultaneously operate: initial host behaviour influences their risk of infection, and infection alters the behaviour of infected hosts.

SEB Conference 2025

Double trouble: host behaviour influences and is influenced by co-infection with parasites

blackspot disease

body condition

parasitism

behaviour

cognition

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SEB Conference 2024

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Seabirds are considered sentinels of marine ecosystem health. Black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) have experienced population declines as a result of prey shortages due to changing oceanographic conditions. Since 2019, a collaborative study on heart rate in black legged kittiwakes has been conducted by scientists at McGill University, University of Liverpool, University of Roehampton, and McMaster University at the Institute of Seabird Research and Conservation on Middleton Island, Alaska. To examine the indirect physiological effects of prey shortages, we used heart rate as a proxy of oxygen consumption and fine scale energetics. The recent development of a new prototype logger for birds has significantly improved data quality, with a 99% accuracy rate between manual and automatic heart rate measurements. In 2024, 45 kittiwakes were implanted with heart rate loggers and gps-accelerometers to identify which behaviours (flight, resting, etc.) required the most energy during different stages of the breeding season. Flapping flight was identified as the most energy-costly behaviour in kittiwakes, which is performed mainly during the chick-rearing stage. To examine the affect of supplemental feeding, 30 kittiwakes that were implanted with heart rate loggers were fed capelin three times a day for 10 days. Heart rate and body temperature differed significantly between fed and unfed birds after a feeding event. Our work will provide novel insights into the use of heart rate as a novel proxy of energetics and help to identify tipping points in which declines in prey availability could result in an energy deficit in kittiwakes and other seabirds.

Heart rate as a proxy of metabolic rate in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)at Middleton Island, Alaska

In the lab, diet has been found to greatly influence cognition, particularly during development. Specifically, high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diets reduce learning and memory. One of the processes through which this occurs is the gut-brain axis, where the gut-microbiome influences how animals make decisions, such as during spatial exploration and navigation. In urban environments, species such as pigeons are often exposed to HFHS diets. In this study, we provided a HFHS diet and a control diet for 4 weeks to two groups of young racing pigeons, after which they all received the control diet (n=96). During treatment, the two groups did not differ in their gut-microbiota diversity, but from week 5 onwards young pigeons exposed to the HFHS diet had a higher gut-microbiota diversity than those raised on the control diet. When individuals were trained to return to their home loft, unlike what we predicted, individuals on the HFHS diet were (1) faster at finding the home loft, (2) faster at learning, (3) explored less and were (4) less cohesive and coordinated than individuals in the control group. Diet induced gut-microbiota diversity changes could explain behavioural differences in both social and individual navigation.

High-fat high-sugar diets and their effects on the gut microbiota and cognition of feral pigeons (Columba livia domestica)

The intricate DNA repair mechanisms organisms employ to rectify damage induced by environmental factors, such as UV rays, play a pivotal role in maintaining genomic stability. UV-induced damage leads to bulky lesions which are removed primarily by two Nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathways i.e., Global Genome Repair (GG-NER) and Transcription-Coupled Nucleotide Excision Repair (Tc-NER). In mammals Tc-NER involves the recruitment of CSA and CSB repair proteins when RNA polymerase halts at the damage site during transcription, resulting in transcription arrest followed by the formation of a repair bubble. This study aims to identify the proteins engaged in transcription-coupled DNA repair in Arabidopsis, offering insights into repair dynamics using the XR-seq method. Key proteins in mammalian Tc-NER are CSA and CSB for damage recognition and XPF\XPG serve as endonucleases responsible for DNA excision. Arabidopsis harbors homologs of key NER repair proteins CSA (AtCSA1 and AtCSA2), CSB (Chr24, Chr8), and XPF\XPG endonucleases (UVH3, UVH1, and ERCC1). Utilizing the XR-seq methodology allows the generation of genome-wide DNA repair maps at a single nucleotide level resolution. The main steps in XR-seq include Cell lysis, Immunoprecipitation, Adapter ligation, and Sequencing. We performed XR-seq for CSB homologs (Chr24 and Chr8) in Arabidopsis. Data shows the repair dymanics on transcribed strands for Chr24 and Chr8 knockouts compared to the normal wild type. Comparative protein alignments of these homologs also underscore potential functional differences. This research contributes to a comprehensive understanding of plant DNA repair processes and how they maintain genome integrity.

Identification  of Arabidopsis Proteins Involved in Nucleotide Excision Repair

Mechanical deformations of DNA are ubiquitous in Biology and occurs as part of critical processes involved in the reading, repair, copying, and packaging of genetic information. Therefore, such processes may be regulated by the local mechanical pliability of DNA to accommodate physical deformations. We have developed high-throughput technology to measure how local sequence impacts local DNA bendability via a “mechanical code”. We show that via the mechanical code, genomes encoded regulatory information impacting diverse cellular processes such as gene expression, nucleosome organization and remodelling, transcription factor binding, and DNA supercoiling by topoisomerases. We are currently exploring how chemical alterations to DNA such as via epigenetic modifications or DNA damage may alter the mechanical code, resulting in downstream functional consequences. We are also investigating how variations in DNA mechanics impact the genome-wide variations in DNA supercoiling, ultimately allowing environmental factors that control supercoiling to impact broad cellular gene expression programmes in complex ways. Overall, we advance our understanding of how physical forces have impacted the evolution of genomes.

Deciphering the mechanical code of DNA and its impact on cellular processes

PhD research is the backbone of disciplinary innovation within the higher education sector of the UK and beyond. With planned economic growth, and increased research funding expected in the UK, more PhD students are required to meet this demand and deliver these projections. The perception of the research student experience, particularly within the social media sphere, is often negative, and with the ongoing mental health challenge experienced by PhD students, honest discussions around the reality, benefits and commitments are required to ensure better preparedness for prospective students. Here I present a Science Friday (SciFri) initiative whereby PhD research students are given an opportunity to discuss their projects to small groups of interested undergraduate students within the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. These sessions were delivered weekly during term-time over a series of four weeks across two semesters. All participants stated the benefits of the sessions which provided undergraduates with a unique opportunity to develop a rapport with research students, enabling them to identify day-to-day information on the research student experience. Interestingly, participants mentioned the importance these sessions were to develop novel connections with other students and researchers, developing their sense of belonging within the school, and even fostering new research collaborations. This study demonstrates how universities can leverage on the expertise already available to them to encourage student preparedness and success, as well as to foster an improved sense of belonging.

Science Fridays (SciFri): Supporting Research Expectations and Insights through Student-driven Discussions

AI literacy and the readiness to apply a range of simple and complex technologies in schools and universities represent significant challenges that our institutions must address as they progress. The uncertainty surrounding when staff and students should employ these technologies perpetuates numerous challenges that disciplines and educationalists must resolve. However, while questions about how these technologies are being adopted arise, it is crucial to consider where their utility can be maximised for both staff and students, as well as the base level of literacy needed to access the various present and emerging tools (Stanković et al., 2024). Nurfidari et al. (2024) argue that overviews and introductions to available technologies and their utilisation in various roles are necessary for both staff and students. Particularly when integrating systems into student and staff roles, it is essential to consider how we can support staff in using these new technologies, whether in teaching-focused roles or other capacities.
How do we ensure students can engage with the technology while simultaneously developing their skills and ethical uses? Therefore, we must reflect on how we intend to embed these tools to benefit our communities, rather than merely expanding the user base, while also considering the lifelong learning needs of both students and staff (Simeunović & Ružičić, 2024).

Enhancing AI Literacy and Technological Integration in Education: Challenges and Strategies

The efficiency of water uptake by plants from the soil is shaped by root system architecture and influenced by anatomical features, such as hydrophobic barriers and aerenchyma formation. While root architecture determines the spatial distribution of roots, root anatomy influences local hydraulic properties like radial and axial conductances.Water movement through root tissues occurs via apoplastic and cell-to-cell pathways. Apoplastic flow can be blocked by hydrophobic barriers like lignin and suberin, while cell-to-cell flow is regulated by plasmodesmata and aquaporins. These features collectively define radial conductivity and axial conductance, which are crucial for estimating a plant's water uptake capacity.While these hydraulic properties have been extensively studied in monocotyledons, there is a knowledge gap regarding woody dicotyledons. Dicots present significant anatomical differences, including secondary growth and different hydrophobic deposition patterns, which can substantially impact hydraulic dynamics.Here we use computational models to investigate how anatomical features influence root hydraulic properties in tomato (used as a model species). We characterized the root anatomy of 30-day-old tomato plants and developed a secondary growth module to a generator of root anatomy. We also monitored suberin and lignin deposition in the endodermis and exodermis, establishing a spatiotemporal atlas of their maturation, coupled with recent litterature data. We used a hydraulic solver of root anatomy hydraulics to estimate local hydraulic properties and conducted in silico analysis to assess the impact of various factors on root hydraulic conductance and water uptake profiles.This research provides valuable insights into the hydraulic dynamics of dicotyledonous roots.Correspondence: marco.dagostino@uclouvain.be

Influence of secondary growth, apoplastic barriers and developmental anatomy on root hydraulic properties: In Silico analysis

As agricultural practices diversify and climatic variability increases, traditional variety evaluation methods struggle to capture genotype-specific advantages across diverse agro-environments. The historical focus on a limited number of elite varieties does not align with the need for locally adapted cultivars tailored to specific climate scenarios and management practices.
This talk explores how integrating phenotyping, modeling, and envirotyping can improve the evaluation and prediction of genotype performance under variable agro-climatic conditions. Key approaches include (i) model-based envirotyping to cluster environments based on plant-perceived conditions, (ii) crop modeling with high-throughput phenotyping-derived variety parameters, and (iii) genomic prediction for new genotypes in unexplored conditions. While these methods have been academically demonstrated, their application to operational variety evaluation remains underdeveloped. By trying to bridge this gap, we could refine registration and recommendation processes to better align with the needs of farmers and climate-resilient agriculture.

Enhancing Variety Evaluation: Integrating Phenotyping, Modeling, and Envirotyping for Adaptation tospecificAgro-Environmental scenarios

Root growth angle (RGA) plays a critical role in drought resilience by regulating water/nutrient uptake. This study deciphers the genetic basis of RGA in tetraploid wheat, comparing cultivars (CVS) and Triticum turgidum landraces (TDL) to pinpoint breeding targets for drought adaptation. We characterize RGA diversity, haplotype stacking, in durum wheat using GWAS (90K SNP array), KASP validation, and multi-omics (transcriptomics, gene ontology. CVS (61.44°–77.05°) showed lower RGA diversity and plasticity than TDL (57.63°–78.24°), with 7 high-confidence QTLs in CVS versus 13 in TDL. KASP-validated QTLs on 2A (QRGA.ubo.2A.2), 6A (QRGA.ubo.6A.2), and 7A (QRGA.ubo.7A.2) revealed haplotype-specific alleles for narrow (steep) and wide (shallow) RGA, demonstrating stacking potential for trait optimization. Narrow RGA improved deep-water uptake under terminal drought while indirectly supporting yield. Multi-omics implicated conserved phosphorus-response pathways (PHR1, CLE14) and ROS-hormonal interplay (auxin, ALMT1) in RGA regulation, with narrow RGA genotypes enhancing phosphorus foraging in deficient soils. Co-localized QTLs for yield, biomass, and grain quality underscored RGA’s pleiotropic impact on resource efficiency.

Dissecting the Root Growth Angle QTLome in tetraploid Wheat (Triticum turgidumssps) as a Key Component of Drought Stress Resilience

A lot of our knowledge about how long orthodox seeds can survive in long-term cold (-20°C) storage in seed (gene) banks comes from studies on crop species. A clear advantage of focusing research on crops is that it is easy to access large, homogenous seed lots. While the general principles behind seed storage broadly apply to wild orthodox species, improving our understanding of seed longevity for wild species has challenges, including the ability to acquire sufficient quantities of seeds, more heterogenous responses, and dormancy. This in turn hampers our ability to optimize conservation protocols, for example in terms of making decisions about when to monitor viability or when to archive an accession and make a new collection. Some of these issues will be discussed in the context of our research on diverse species for improved ex situ plant conservation.

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Heart rate as a proxy of metabolic rate in black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)at Middleton Island, Alaska

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