Nick Wybouw
@wybouw.bsky.social
Evolutionary geneticist working on endosymbiosis, herbivory, and speciation - Wybouw Lab @ Ghent University
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
How specific are heritable symbioses?
And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?
We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!
1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?
We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!
1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 16, 2026 at 7:24 AM
How specific are heritable symbioses?
And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?
We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!
1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
And what can we learn from swapping obligate symbionts across host species?
We address this in our latest, led by @inespons.bsky.social & in our collaboration w/ @microbiome.bsky.social 🦠🪲 Out today in @natcomms.nature.com!
1/n
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Can plant pathogens boost vector fitness?
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Plant Pathogens Moonlighting as Beneficial Insect Symbionts
Herbivorous insects can shape the epidemiology of disease in plants by vectoring numerous phytopathogens. While the consequences of infection are often well-characterized in the host plant, the extent...
www.annualreviews.org
February 2, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Can plant pathogens boost vector fitness?
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Together with @hassansalem.bsky.social, we review how phytopathogens can spread further by moonlighting as insect symbionts 🪲 More on this nifty lifestyle in @annualreviews.bsky.social!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Check out our latest Special Section guest edited by @mitopozzi.bsky.social and Sophie Breton:
Beyond ATP: New insight into mitochondrial function and evolution
🎨 Cover image - artwork by Iain G Johnston
academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/be...
Beyond ATP: New insight into mitochondrial function and evolution
🎨 Cover image - artwork by Iain G Johnston
academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/be...
January 22, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Check out our latest Special Section guest edited by @mitopozzi.bsky.social and Sophie Breton:
Beyond ATP: New insight into mitochondrial function and evolution
🎨 Cover image - artwork by Iain G Johnston
academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/be...
Beyond ATP: New insight into mitochondrial function and evolution
🎨 Cover image - artwork by Iain G Johnston
academic.oup.com/jeb/pages/be...
I had an excellent and inspiring time with the suzukii team at @cbgpmontpellier.bsky.social . Enjoyed presenting our ongoing @erc.europa.eu project to the SEEM Montpellier community!
January 10, 2026 at 7:10 AM
I had an excellent and inspiring time with the suzukii team at @cbgpmontpellier.bsky.social . Enjoyed presenting our ongoing @erc.europa.eu project to the SEEM Montpellier community!
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Three #postdoc positions available in my lab @unibz.bsky.social focusing on #genomics of #eriosoma #aphids #psyllids and #phytoplasma please repost
January 5, 2026 at 8:34 AM
Three #postdoc positions available in my lab @unibz.bsky.social focusing on #genomics of #eriosoma #aphids #psyllids and #phytoplasma please repost
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
(1/9) Join us in Bern, Switzerland (8–11 Feb 2026) for our EMBO Workshop on Molecular Mechanisms of Selfish Elements and Strategies!
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Molecular mechanisms of selfish elements and strategies
Certain genes, chromosomes, organelles, or entire sets of chromosomes can bias their transmission to the next generation, propagating themselves at the expense of the rest of the genome. Referred to …
meetings.embo.org
October 27, 2025 at 5:37 PM
(1/9) Join us in Bern, Switzerland (8–11 Feb 2026) for our EMBO Workshop on Molecular Mechanisms of Selfish Elements and Strategies!
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Organized with Tanja Schwander, Laura Ross (@laurarossevo.bsky.social) and Axel Imhof.
meetings.embo.org/event/26-sel...
#EMBOselfishElements #EMBOevents
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Last two days of our campaign. It's all or nothing, so help us if you can! experiment.com/citypillbugs
Urban Pillbug Project: Measuring Genetic Diversity of City Pillbugs and Their Symbionts
The pillbug Armadillidium vulgare is a common isopod generalist decomposer in most natural landscapes. Past European and US studies have looked at the genetic diversity and frequency of A. vulgare and...
experiment.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Last two days of our campaign. It's all or nothing, so help us if you can! experiment.com/citypillbugs
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Thrilled to share the first full paper from @AntLabUNAM! 🐜💥
Our paper examines how queen and worker harvester ants differ in ovarian morphology and gene expression, shedding light on the ovary as a hub for multiple physiological systems, not just reproduction. Check it out! rdcu.be/ePNP8
Our paper examines how queen and worker harvester ants differ in ovarian morphology and gene expression, shedding light on the ovary as a hub for multiple physiological systems, not just reproduction. Check it out! rdcu.be/ePNP8
Age, caste, and social context shape ovarian morphology and transcriptomic profiles in red harvester ants
npj Aging - Age, caste, and social context shape ovarian morphology and transcriptomic profiles in red harvester ants
rdcu.be
November 20, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Thrilled to share the first full paper from @AntLabUNAM! 🐜💥
Our paper examines how queen and worker harvester ants differ in ovarian morphology and gene expression, shedding light on the ovary as a hub for multiple physiological systems, not just reproduction. Check it out! rdcu.be/ePNP8
Our paper examines how queen and worker harvester ants differ in ovarian morphology and gene expression, shedding light on the ovary as a hub for multiple physiological systems, not just reproduction. Check it out! rdcu.be/ePNP8
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
We are in Bluesky and we are happy to share our two last consortium publications: the DrosEU expanded DEST dataset and a Continent-wide study of phenotypic differentiation among European #Drosophila melanogaster populations (1/7)
October 19, 2025 at 9:35 AM
We are in Bluesky and we are happy to share our two last consortium publications: the DrosEU expanded DEST dataset and a Continent-wide study of phenotypic differentiation among European #Drosophila melanogaster populations (1/7)
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
📢New preprint on the impact of dengue virus genetic diversity on inhibition by Wolbachia 🦟🦠🧬
Project led by Afeez Sodeinde, @emiliefinch.bsky.social, and @keli5734.bsky.social! ✨
Key findings in thread below 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Project led by Afeez Sodeinde, @emiliefinch.bsky.social, and @keli5734.bsky.social! ✨
Key findings in thread below 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Heterogeneity in inhibition of genetically diverse dengue virus strains by Wolbachia
The release of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes transinfected with the virus-inhibiting Wolbachia bacterium has the potential to reduce the burden caused by dengue virus (DENV). However, the robustness of thi...
www.biorxiv.org
September 19, 2025 at 7:23 PM
📢New preprint on the impact of dengue virus genetic diversity on inhibition by Wolbachia 🦟🦠🧬
Project led by Afeez Sodeinde, @emiliefinch.bsky.social, and @keli5734.bsky.social! ✨
Key findings in thread below 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Project led by Afeez Sodeinde, @emiliefinch.bsky.social, and @keli5734.bsky.social! ✨
Key findings in thread below 👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Hi! We are looking for a PhD to work on the cross talk between transposable elements, insects and intracellular bacteria on the bioinformatics side. The PhD would be supervised by @mariefablet.bsky.social and myself along with @nicolasparisot.bsky.social Deadline December 2025! Please share! #tesky
September 16, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Hi! We are looking for a PhD to work on the cross talk between transposable elements, insects and intracellular bacteria on the bioinformatics side. The PhD would be supervised by @mariefablet.bsky.social and myself along with @nicolasparisot.bsky.social Deadline December 2025! Please share! #tesky
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
If you’ve heard about our study on ants producing two different species but are still confused about how it works (and don’t have time to read the paper), this 10-minute video made by @bengthomas.bsky.social is very informative:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-O4...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-O4...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The Ants That Broke Biology
YouTube video by 7 Days of Science
www.youtube.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
If you’ve heard about our study on ants producing two different species but are still confused about how it works (and don’t have time to read the paper), this 10-minute video made by @bengthomas.bsky.social is very informative:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-O4...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-O4...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
go.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:34 PM
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Goodbye #eseb2025 @eseb2025.bsky.social see you next time!
Perhaps what stuck most was powerful talk on resilience and survival by Palestinian researcher, play director, and ESEB EUEA awardee May Shehady. Let's not forget, let's not look away. 🇵🇸
Perhaps what stuck most was powerful talk on resilience and survival by Palestinian researcher, play director, and ESEB EUEA awardee May Shehady. Let's not forget, let's not look away. 🇵🇸
August 23, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Goodbye #eseb2025 @eseb2025.bsky.social see you next time!
Perhaps what stuck most was powerful talk on resilience and survival by Palestinian researcher, play director, and ESEB EUEA awardee May Shehady. Let's not forget, let's not look away. 🇵🇸
Perhaps what stuck most was powerful talk on resilience and survival by Palestinian researcher, play director, and ESEB EUEA awardee May Shehady. Let's not forget, let's not look away. 🇵🇸
This collaboration/friendship started while measuring the yield of wild strawberry plants in Spain and has now led to a first publication, dx.doi.org/10.1111/eva.... . We wanted to better understand how Wolbachia infection persists upon loss of CI in our favourite mite, Tetranychus urticae.
Reciprocal Host–Wolbachia Interactions Shape Infection Persistence Upon Loss of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility in Haplodiploids
Maternally transmitted symbionts such as Wolbachia spread within host populations by mediating reproductive phenotypes. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is a reproductive phenotype that interferes wi...
dx.doi.org
July 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
This collaboration/friendship started while measuring the yield of wild strawberry plants in Spain and has now led to a first publication, dx.doi.org/10.1111/eva.... . We wanted to better understand how Wolbachia infection persists upon loss of CI in our favourite mite, Tetranychus urticae.
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Two fully funded #PhD positions on insect #Symbiosis available in our lab: Spiroplasma in Neotropical Arthropods (tinyurl.com/spiroplasma) & Psyllid symbionts (tinyurl.com/psyllids).
Please contact me for any questions & share widely #symbiosky #academicjobs
Please contact me for any questions & share widely #symbiosky #academicjobs
tinyurl.com
July 23, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Two fully funded #PhD positions on insect #Symbiosis available in our lab: Spiroplasma in Neotropical Arthropods (tinyurl.com/spiroplasma) & Psyllid symbionts (tinyurl.com/psyllids).
Please contact me for any questions & share widely #symbiosky #academicjobs
Please contact me for any questions & share widely #symbiosky #academicjobs
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Insects usually care for their own young, but sometimes they also help other species. This #RSOS study found that yellow meadow #ants protect the eggs of root aphids in their nests during winter. Read more: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @tparmentier.bsky.social @wybouw.bsky.social
July 19, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Insects usually care for their own young, but sometimes they also help other species. This #RSOS study found that yellow meadow #ants protect the eggs of root aphids in their nests during winter. Read more: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @tparmentier.bsky.social @wybouw.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
New paper with @wybouw.bsky.social on the protection of aphid eggs in ant nests:
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
*black eggs --> Anoecia zirnitsi, host: Lasius flavus
*eggs rapidly retrieved among ant brood and protected against predators and fungi
*mediated by chemical cues, transferred to glass dummies
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
*black eggs --> Anoecia zirnitsi, host: Lasius flavus
*eggs rapidly retrieved among ant brood and protected against predators and fungi
*mediated by chemical cues, transferred to glass dummies
July 10, 2025 at 8:32 PM
New paper with @wybouw.bsky.social on the protection of aphid eggs in ant nests:
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
*black eggs --> Anoecia zirnitsi, host: Lasius flavus
*eggs rapidly retrieved among ant brood and protected against predators and fungi
*mediated by chemical cues, transferred to glass dummies
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
*black eggs --> Anoecia zirnitsi, host: Lasius flavus
*eggs rapidly retrieved among ant brood and protected against predators and fungi
*mediated by chemical cues, transferred to glass dummies
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Excited to advertise a shared PhD position at KU Leuven (Belgium) and Mondsee (Austria) with @markusmoest.bsky.social on the genetic basis, plasticity and evolution of melanization in Daphnia from alpine lakes. Apply here: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
July 7, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Excited to advertise a shared PhD position at KU Leuven (Belgium) and Mondsee (Austria) with @markusmoest.bsky.social on the genetic basis, plasticity and evolution of melanization in Daphnia from alpine lakes. Apply here: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Diverging Arabidopsis populations quickly accumulate pollen-acting genetic incompatibilities
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Christopher Condon et al.
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Christopher Condon et al.
doi.org
July 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Diverging Arabidopsis populations quickly accumulate pollen-acting genetic incompatibilities
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Christopher Condon et al.
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Christopher Condon et al.
Reposted by Nick Wybouw
Our newest #RESPhysEnt paper reveals plant silicon defence disrupts cryptic colouration in an insect herbivore by restricting carotenoid sequestration into the haemolymph
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/phen.12492
@wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social @tobybruce.bsky.social @wiley.com
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/phen.12492
@wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social @tobybruce.bsky.social @wiley.com
May 28, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Our newest #RESPhysEnt paper reveals plant silicon defence disrupts cryptic colouration in an insect herbivore by restricting carotenoid sequestration into the haemolymph
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/phen.12492
@wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social @tobybruce.bsky.social @wiley.com
Read the article🔽
doi.org/10.1111/phen.12492
@wybouw.bsky.social @tbuescher.bsky.social @tobybruce.bsky.social @wiley.com
A MSCA fellowship is a wonderful thing
Choose Science. Choose Europe.
A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open.
With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond.
Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF
A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open.
With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond.
Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF
May 8, 2025 at 5:26 PM
A MSCA fellowship is a wonderful thing
Wonderful opening talk on phasmid egg colouration by @gdebruyn.bsky.social at the yearly International Stick Insect Meeting.
April 27, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Wonderful opening talk on phasmid egg colouration by @gdebruyn.bsky.social at the yearly International Stick Insect Meeting.
Always satisfying to see a new thriving Liriomyza lab population #leafminers
April 14, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Always satisfying to see a new thriving Liriomyza lab population #leafminers
