Marie Curie (IO) Fellow

eh481@cam.ac.uk

emilyhornett.org

 

Research

I am interested in the evolution and genetics of natural populations of insects. I primarily use butterflies and have been studying one particular butterfly (Hypolimnas bolina) for over 10 years, investigating the dynamics of its relationship with a male-killing bacterium, Wolbachia. However my research has moved into two main areas more recently:

1)  The causes and consequences of spatial and temporal variation (biodiversity) in insect host-symbiont interactions.

In addition to the Hypolimnas bolina study (with Greg Hurst, Liverpool), I’m asking the question: Can bacterial symbionts influence host adaptation to the environment? This includes recent investigation, as part of my current Marie Curie Fellowship, into a potential interaction between the microbiome and thermal tolerance of the host butterfly Colias eurytheme. I am also involved in several collaborations looking at the microbiome x host x environmental factors (O2, pH, temperature) interaction in other insects including dragonflies, Drosophila, and other butterflies.

2) The genetics underlying adaptive phenotypic or functional variation in natural populations, using genomics approaches.

I also study variation at the genetics level. As my research uses field populations, this includes projects assessing the utility of high-throughput sequencing techniques in non-model species.

 

Publications

Hornett EA, Moran B, Reynolds LA, Charlat S, Tazzyman S, Wedell N, Jiggins CD, & Hurst GDD (2014) The evolution of sex ratio distorter suppression affects a 25cM genomic region in the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. PLoS Genetics 10(12): e1004822

Hughes GL, Dodson BL, Johnson RM, Murdock CC, Tsuijimoto H, Suzuki Y, Patt AA, Cui L, Nossa CW, Barry RM, Sakamoto JM, Hornett EA & Rasgon JL. (2014) Microbiome dysbiosis enables vertical transmission of Wolbachia in Anopheles mosquitoes. PNAS 111(34): 12498-503

Ahola V, Lehtonen R, Somervuo P, Salmela L, Koskinen P, Rastas P, Välimäki N, Paulin L, Kvist J, Wahlberg N, Tanskanen J, Hornett EA, Ferguson LC, Luo S, Cao Z, de Jong MA, Duplouy A, Smolander O, Vogel H, McCoy RC, Qian K, Chong WS, Zhang Q, Ahmad F, Haukka JK, Joshi A, Salojärvi J, Wheat CW, Grosse-Wilde E, Hughes D, Katainen R, Pitkänen E, Ylinen J, Waterhouse R, Turunen M, Vähärautio A, Sculman A, Taipale M, Lawson D, Ukkonen E, Mäkinen V, Goldsmith MR, Holm L, Auvinen P, Frilander MJ, Hanski I (2014) Glanville fritillary genome retains ancient karyotype and reveals selective chromosomal fusions in Lepidoptera. Nature Communications 5

Hornett EA & Wheat CW (2012) Quantitative RNA-Seq analysis in non-model species: assessing transcriptome assemblies as a scaffold and the utility of evolutionary divergent genomic reference species. BMC Genomics epub 13:361

Hornett EA, Engelstädter, J. & Hurst, GDD. (2010) Hidden cytoplasmic incompatibility alters the dynamics of male-killer/host interactions. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23: 479-487

Hornett EA, Charlat S, Wedell N, Jiggins CD. & Hurst GDD. (2009) Rapidly shifting sex ratio across a species range. Current Biology 19: 1628-1631

Charlat S, Duplouy AMR, Hornett EA, Dyson EA, Davies N, Roderick GK, Wedell N & Hurst GDD (2009) The joint evolutionary histories of Wolbachia and mitochondria in Hypolimnas bolina. BMC Evolutionary Biology 9: 64

Hornett EA, Duplouy AMR, Davies N, Roderick GK, Wedell N, Hurst GDD & Charlat S. (2008). You can’t keep a good parasite down: Evolution of a male-killer suppressor uncovers cytoplasmic incompatibility. Evolution 62: 1258–1263

Duron O, Hurst GDD, Hornett EA, Josling J & Engelstädter J (2008). High incidence of the maternally inherited bacterium Cardinium in spiders. Molecular Ecology 17: 1427-1437

Charlat S, Hornett EA, Fullard JH, Davies N, Roderick GK, Wedell N & Hurst GDD (2007) Extraordinary flux in sex ratio. Science 317: 214

Charlat S, Reuter M, Dyson EA, Hornett EA, Duplouy AMR, Davies N, Roderick G, Wedell N & Hurst GDD (2007) Male-killing bacteria trigger a cycle of increasing male fatigue and female promiscuity. Current Biology 17: 273-277

Hornett EA, Charlat S, Duplouy AMR, Davies N, Roderick G, Wedell N. & Hurst GDD. (2006) Evolution of Male Killer Suppression in a Natural Population. PLoS Biology 4: 1643-1648

Charlat S, Engelstädter J, Dyson EA, Hornett EA, Duplouy AMR, Tortosa P, Davies N, Roderick G, Wedell N. & Hurst GDD (2006) Competing selfish genetic elements in the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. Current Biology 16: 2453-2458

Charlat S, Hornett EA, Dyson EA, Ho PPY, Loc NT, Schilthuizen M, Davies N, Roderick GK, Hurst GDD (2005) Prevalence and penetrance variation of male killing Wolbachia across Indo-Pacific populations of the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. Molecular Ecology 14: 3525-3530.

Veneti Z, Reuter M, Montenegro H, Hornett EA, Charlat S. & Hurst GDD ‘The Wolbachia Paradigm’ In: The influence of cooperative bacteria on animal biology (CUP 2004)