Elin Videvall

• PhD
• Researcher at Uppsala University

Malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) include some of the world's most widespread and virulent pathogens. Our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms these parasites use to invade and exploit hosts other than mice and primates is, however, extremely limited. It is therefore imperative to characterize transcriptome-wide gene expression from non-model ma...

The phylogenetic relationships among hemosporidian parasites, including the origin of Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent malaria parasite of humans, have been heavily debated for decades. Studies based on multiple-gene sequences have helped settle many of these controversial phylogenetic issues. However, denser taxon sampling and genome-wide...

Malaria parasites are highly virulent pathogens which infect a wide range of vertebrates. Despite their importance, the way different hosts control and suppress malaria infections remains poorly understood. With recent developments in next generation sequencing techniques, however, it is now possible to quantify the response of the entire transcrip...

Identifying the molecular basis of environmentally induced phenotypic variation presents exciting opportunities for furthering our understanding of how ecological processes and the environment can shape the phenotype. Urban and rural environments present free-living organisms with different challenges and opportunities, which have marked consequenc...

The gut microbiomes of birds and other animals are increasingly being studied in ecological and evolutionary contexts. Numerous studies on birds and reptiles have made inferences about gut microbiota using cloacal sampling, however, it is not known whether the bacterial community of the cloaca provides an accurate representation of the avian gut mi...

The animal gut microbiome can have a strong influence on the health, fitness, and behavior of its hosts. The composition of the gut microbial community can be influenced by factors such as diet, environment, and evolutionary history (phylosymbiosis). However, the relative influence of these factors is unknown in most bird species. Furthermore, phyl...

Host‐associated microbiomes are thought to play a key role in host physiology and fitness, but this conclusion mainly derives from systems biased towards animal models and humans. While many studies on non‐model and wild animals have characterised the taxonomic diversity of their microbiomes, few have investigated the functional potential of these...

The Earth Hologenome Initiative (EHI) is a global collaboration to generate and analyse hologenomic data from wild animals and associated microorganisms using standardised methodologies underpinned by open and inclusive research principles. Initially focused on vertebrates, it aims to re-examine ecological and evolutionary questions by studying hos...

Host-associated microbiomes are thought to play a key role in host physiology and fitness, but this conclusion mainly derives from studies of a handful of animal models and humans. To test the generality of this conclusion, studies in non-model and wild animals are needed. However, whilst microbiome taxonomic diversity has recently received much at...

The study of microbiomes across organisms and environments has become a prominent focus in molecular ecology. This perspective article explores common challenges, methodological advancements, and future directions in the field. Key research areas include understanding the drivers of microbiome community assembly, linking microbiome composition to h...

The study of microbiomes across organisms and environments has become a prominent focus in molecular ecology. This perspective article explores methodological advancements, common challenges and future directions in the field. Key research areas include understanding the drivers of microbiome community assembly, linking microbiome composition to ho...

Coprophagy is a behavior where animals consume feces, and has been observed across a wide range of species, including birds and mammals. The phenomenon is particularly prevalent in juveniles, but the reasons for this remain unclear. One hypothesis is that coprophagy enables offspring to acquire beneficial gut microbes that aid development. However,...

Radioactive contamination has the potential to cause damage to DNA and other biomolecules. Anthropogenic sources of radioactive contamination include accidents in nuclear power plants, such as the one in Chornobyl in 1986 which caused long-term radioactive pollution. Studies on animals within radioactive zones have provided us with a greater unders...

The unprecedented rise in the number of new and emerging infectious diseases in the last quarter century pose direct threats to human and wildlife health. The introduction to the Hawaiian archipelago of Plasmodium relictum and the mosquito vector that transmits the parasite has led to dramatic losses in endemic Hawaiian forest bird species. Underst...

Of the estimated 55 Hawaiian honeycreepers (subfamily Carduelinae) only 17 species remain, 9 of which the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers endangered. Among the most pressing threats to honeycreeper survival is avian malaria, caused by the introduced blood parasite Plasmodium relictum, which is increasing in distribution in...

Background Plasmodium parasites that cause bird malaria occur in all continents except Antarctica and are primarily transmitted by mosquitoes in the genus Culex . Culex quinquefasciatus , the mosquito vector of avian malaria in Hawaiʻi, became established in the islands in the 1820s. While the deadly effects of malaria on endemic bird species have...

Longitudinal data on gut microbiomes of wild baboons show that microbial communities are highly individualized, despite shared diet and environment within primate social groups.

Culex quinquefasciatus , the mosquito vector of avian malaria in Hawaiʻi, became established in the islands in the 1820s and the deadly effects of malaria on endemic bird species have been documented for many decades. To evaluate the gene expression response of the mosquito to the parasite, we let the offspring of wild-collected Hawaiian Cx. quinqu...

Radioactive contamination in the form of ionizing radiation can be a devastating pollutant because it has the potential to cause damage to DNA and other biomolecules. Anthropogenic sources of ionizing radiation include accidents in nuclear power plants, such as the one in Chernobyl 1986, which caused long-term radioactive pollution. Studies on anim...

Marine multicellular organisms host a diverse collection of bacteria, archaea, microbial eukaryotes, and viruses that form their microbiome. Such host-associated microbes can significantly influence the host’s physiological capacities; however, the identity and functional role(s) of key members of the microbiome (“core microbiome”) in most marine h...

The malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum (lineage GRW4) was introduced less than a century ago to the native avifauna of Hawaiʻi, where it has since caused major declines of endemic bird populations. One of the native bird species that is frequently infected with GRW4 is the Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens). To achieve a better understandin...

Birds secrete preen oil from the uropygial (preen) gland which is used to maintain feather integrity and communicate through odour. The uropygial secretion is believed to influence host attractiveness to biting insects, thereby altering the risk of infection by vector‐transmitted blood parasites. Previous studies have documented a presence of bacte...

Background: Imbalances in the gut microbial community (dysbiosis) of vertebrates have been associated with several gastrointestinal and autoimmune diseases. However, it is unclear which taxa are associated with gut dysbiosis, and if particular gut regions or specific time periods during ontogeny are more susceptible. We also know very little of th...

Shortly after birth, mammals are colonized by a multitude of microbes derived from the mother and the environment. Studies in model organisms have demonstrated that the structure and composition of the gut microbiome of offspring steadily mature with increasing diversity during nursing and weaning (Sommer & Bäckhed, 2013). This period of microbiome...

The transcriptional response of hosts to genetically similar pathogens can vary substantially, with important implications for disease severity and host fitness. A low pathogen load can theoretically elicit both high and low host responses, as the outcome depends on both the effectiveness of the host at suppressing the pathogen and the ability of t...

Dysbiosis in the vertebrate gut microbiome has been associated with several diseases. However, it is unclear whether particular gut regions or specific time periods during ontogeny are responsible for the development of dysbiosis, especially in non-model organisms. Here we examine the microbiome associated with dysbiosis in different parts of the g...

Evolutionary genomics has recently entered a new era in the study of host-pathogen interactions. A variety of novel genomic techniques has transformed the identification, detection and classification of both hosts and pathogens, allowing a greater resolution that helps decipher their underlying dynamics and provides novel insights into their enviro...

Evolutionary genomics has recently entered a new era in the study of host-pathogen interactions. A variety of novel genomic techniques has transformed to the identification, detection and classification of both hosts and pathogens, allowing a greater resolution that helps decipher their underlying dynamics and provides novel insights into their env...

Evolutionary genomics has recently entered a new era in the study of host-pathogen interactions. A variety of novel genomic techniques has transformed to the identification, detection and classification of both hosts and pathogens, allowing a greater resolution that helps decipher their underlying dynamics and provides novel insights into their env...

Haemosporidian parasites causing malaria-like diseases in birds are globally distributed and have been associated with reduced host fitness and mortality in susceptible bird species. This group of parasites has not only enabled a greater understanding of host specificity, virulence, and parasite dispersal, but has also been crucial in restructuring...

The development of gut microbiota during ontogeny in vertebrates is emerging as an important process influencing physiology, immunity, and fitness. However, there is little knowledge of how bacteria colonise the juvenile gut, how this is influenced by changes in the diversity of gut bacteria, and to what extent this influences host fitness, particu...

Non-recombining sex chromosomes (Y and W) accumulate deleterious mutations and degenerate. This poses a problem for the heterogametic sex (XY males; ZW females) because a single functional gene copy often implies less gene expression and a potential imbalance of crucial expression networks. Mammals counteract this by dosage compensation, resulting...

The development of gut microbiota during ontogeny in vertebrates is emerging as an important process influencing physiology, immune system, health, and adult fitness. However, we have little knowledge of how the gut microbiome is colonised and develops in non-model organisms, and to what extent microbial diversity and specific taxa influence change...

The genomic architecture of organisms, including nucleotide composition, can be highly variable, even among closely-related species. To better understand the causes leading to structural variation in genomes, information on distinct and diverse genomic features is needed. Malaria parasites are known for encompassing a wide range of genomic GC-conte...

Parasites often have reduced genomes as their own genes become redundant when utilizing their host as a source of metabolites, thus losing their own de novo production of metabolites. Primate malaria parasites can synthesize vitamin B 1 (thiamine) de novo but rodent malaria and other genome-sequenced apicomplexans cannot, as the three essential gen...

The gut microbiome of animals is emerging as an important factor influencing ecological and evolutionary processes. A major bottleneck in obtaining microbiome data from large numbers of samples is the time-consuming laboratory procedures required, specifically the isolation of DNA and generation of amplicon libraries. Recently, direct PCR kits have...

The gut microbiome of animals is emerging as an important factor influencing ecological and evolutionary processes. A major bottleneck in obtaining microbiome data from large numbers of samples is the time-consuming laboratory procedures, specifically the isolation of DNA and generation of amplicon libraries. Recently, direct PCR kits have been dev...

The gut microbiomes of birds and other animals are increasingly being studied in ecological and evolutionary contexts. While methods for preserving samples and processing high-throughput sequence data to characterise bacterial communities have received considerable attention, there has been little evaluation of non-invasive sampling methods. Numero...

Malaria parasites ( Plasmodium spp.) include some of the world’s most widespread and virulent pathogens. Our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms these parasites use to invade and exploit hosts other than mice and primates is, however, extremely limited. It is therefore imperative to characterize transcriptome-wide gene expression from non-model m...

Butterfly monitoring schemes are recording programs initiated to monitor nationwide butterfly abundance and distribution patterns, often with help from volunteers. The method generates high-resolution data, but may be associated with a degree of habitat sampling bias if volunteers prefer to survey areas perceived to be high-quality butterfly habita...

Hybridization between populations or species can have pronounced fitness consequences. Yet little is known about how hybridization affects gene regulation. Three main models have been put forward to explain gene expression patterns in hybrids: additive, dominance or parental effects. Here we use high throughput RNA-sequencing to examine the extent...

Background The chemical senses of insects mediate behaviors that are closely linked to survival and reproduction. The order Diptera contains two model organisms, the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster and the mosquito Anopheles gambiae, whose chemosensory genes have been extensively studied. Representing a third dipteran lineage with an interestin...

Investigations of host preferences in haematophagous insects, including Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), are critical in order to assess transmission routes of vector-borne diseases. In this study, we collected and morphologically identified 164 blood-engorged Culicoides females caught in both light traps and permanent 12-m high...