@article{beza-beza_wiegmann_ware_petersen_gunter_cole_schwarz_bertone_young_mikaelyan_2024, title={Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood-feeding in insects}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1521-1878"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202300241}, DOI={10.1002/bies.202300241}, abstractNote={AbstractDecaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient recycling in ecosystems and carbon sequestration dynamics. This study explores the uneven phylogenetic distribution of saproxylophagy across insects and delves into the evolutionary origins of this trait in disparate insect orders. Employing a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome data, from both saproxylophagous insects and their non‐saproxylophagous relatives, including new data from unexplored wood‐feeding insects, this Hypothesis paper discusses the broader phylogenetic context and potential adaptations necessary for this dietary specialization. The study proposes the “Detritivore‐First Hypothesis,” suggesting an evolutionary pathway to saproxylophagy through detritivory, and highlights the critical role of symbiotic gut microbiomes in the digestion of decaying wood.}, journal={BIOESSAYS}, author={Beza-Beza, Cristian F. and Wiegmann, Brian M. and Ware, Jessica A. and Petersen, Matt and Gunter, Nicole and Cole, Marissa E. and Schwarz, Melbert and Bertone, Matthew A. and Young, Daniel and Mikaelyan, Aram}, year={2024}, month={Mar} }
 @article{cole_ceja-navarro_mikaelyan_2021, title={The power of poop: Defecation behaviors and social hygiene in insects}, volume={17}, ISSN={["1553-7374"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009964}, DOI={10.1371/journal.ppat.1009964}, abstractNote={1 Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America, 2 Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California, United States of America, 3 Bioengineering and Biomedical Sciences Department, Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, United States of America, 4 Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, United States of America}, number={10}, journal={PLOS PATHOGENS}, author={Cole, Marissa E. and Ceja-Navarro, Javier A. and Mikaelyan, Aram}, editor={Jabra-Rizk, Mary AnnEditor}, year={2021}, month={Oct} }