Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is arguably the most conspicuous feature of bacterial
evolution. Evidence for HGT is found in most bacterial genomes. Although HGT can …

Studying within-species variation has traditionally been limited to culturable bacterial
isolates and low-resolution microbial community fingerprinting. Metagenomic sequencing …

Since the first genome-scale comparisons, it has been evident that the genomes of many
species are unbound by strict vertical descent: Large differences in gene content can occur …

The pangenome refers to a collection of genomic sequence found in the entire species or
population rather than in a single individual; the sequence can be core, present in all …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) drives microbial adaptation but is often under the control of
mobile genetic elements (MGEs) whose interests are not necessarily aligned with those of …

The human gut microbiome matures towards the adult composition during the first years of
life and is implicated in early immune development. Here, we investigate the effects of …

Background Knowledge of population-level processes is essential to understanding the
efficacy of selection operating within a species. However, attempts at estimating effective …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is one of the most important processes in prokaryote
evolution. The sharing of DNA can spread neutral or beneficial genes, as well as genetic …

Microbial organisms inhabit virtually all environments and encompass a vast biological
diversity. The pangenome concept aims to facilitate an understanding of diversity within …

The evolutionary forces that determine genome size in bacteria and archaea have been the
subject of intense debate over the last few decades. Although the preferential loss of genes …