@DearingLab

Our research focuses on understanding how small mammals overcome challenges related to diet and disease using both ecological and molecular approaches.

 Salt Lake City, Utah
dearinglab.com
Joined November 2018
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The desert woodrat has evolved the remarkable ability to feed on the highly toxic creosote bush. Curious how they do this? Check out our newest study in @CompBiochPhys, by lead author Dr. Robert Greenhalgh! (1) authors.elsevier.com/c/1ilML… @UofUBiology @MDeniseDearing @MikeDShapiro
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Are you interested in what factors influence the stability of the gut microbiome within free-ranging animals over their lifespan? Then check out our latest paper in FEMS Microbiology Ecology authored by Drs. Dylan Klure & Denise Dearing. Article: academic.oup.com/femsec/arti…
The gut bacterial communities of herbivorous woodrats were repeatedly sampled for 2 years to identify what factors influence the stability of microbes in the gut of individuals over their natural lifespan.

ALT The gut bacterial communities of herbivorous woodrats were repeatedly sampled for 2 years to identify what factors influence the stability of microbes in the gut of individuals over their natural lifespan.

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Lots of enthusiasm for learning about #DNAextraction and #mammals at Dylan Klure's Scientist in the Spotlight at @NHMU last week. Thanks to Noah and @mdoolin23 for helping out.
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Go woodrats! Here is our photo contribution to the rodent of the day: a desert woodrat resting on top of its nest that incorporates an abandoned washing machine in the Mojave Desert, CA!
Nathan Clark nclark.bsky.social@NathanClark11120 Apr 2023
Replying to @DearingLab
@DearingLab , look at the rodent of the day!
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Undergraduate researcher Noah Armstrong did a great job presenting his research on how liver enzymes aid woodrats in feeding on toxic plants at UCUR 2023, and also in showcasing the critical role undergrads serve in advancing research here at @UofUBiology!
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Our latest research on how ecological barriers influence hybridization, is published in @journal_evo! This work, lead by grad student Dylan Klure is the result of collaboration between 4 labs at @UofUBiology and @UNRScience doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpad0… @MDeniseDearing @MikeDShapiro
A subadult hybrid woodrat (N. lepida x N. bryanti) at the Whitewater hybrid zone in southern, CA, USA.

ALT A subadult hybrid woodrat (N. lepida x N. bryanti) at the Whitewater hybrid zone in southern, CA, USA.

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New paper alert: Congrats to Maggie Doolin and Dr. Sara Weinstein (USU) on their new paper, "Pinworms are Associated with Taxonomic But Not Functional Differences in the Gut Microbiome of White-Throated Woodrats [...]" published in the J. of Parasitology! doi.org/10.1645/22-11
N. albigula in front of their food plant, Opuntia cactus.

ALT N. albigula in front of their food plant, Opuntia cactus.

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Congrats to graduate student Dylan Klure on his first, first author paper titled, "Addressing nontarget amplification in DNA metabarcoding studies of arthropod‑feeding rodents", published in Mammal Research (rdcu.be/cSIEA)!
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New paper alert! We assembled the genomes of two woodrat species and identified several gene family expansions that may be the key to feeding on toxic plants. Published in Molecular Ecology Resources (doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13…). Lead author is postdoctoral fellow Robert Greenhalgh.
Trio binning and chromosome scaffolding methodology: (A) Illumina NovaSeq reads were generated for the parents of an F1 cross between Neotoma bryanti and N. lepida, while PacBio SMRT reads were produced for the hybrid. (B) The Illumina reads were examined to identify sequences unique to each parental haplotype. (C) The F1 PacBio reads were sorted by haplotype based on the presence of parent-specific sequences, and assembled separately. (D) The assembled contigs were scaffolded into chromosomes using alignments against the Peromyscus leucopus, P. maniculatus and P. nasutus genomes. Panels A–C are heavily based on Figure 1 from Koren et al., 2018 (https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4277).

ALT Trio binning and chromosome scaffolding methodology: (A) Illumina NovaSeq reads were generated for the parents of an F1 cross between Neotoma bryanti and N. lepida, while PacBio SMRT reads were produced for the hybrid. (B) The Illumina reads were examined to identify sequences unique to each parental haplotype. (C) The F1 PacBio reads were sorted by haplotype based on the presence of parent-specific sequences, and assembled separately. (D) The assembled contigs were scaffolded into chromosomes using alignments against the Peromyscus leucopus, P. maniculatus and P. nasutus genomes. Panels A–C are heavily based on Figure 1 from Koren et al., 2018 (https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4277).

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New paper alert! Tess publishes another chapter of her thesis in Molecular Ecology Resources. In this study, we assessed the accuracy of plant metabarcoding for diet determination in non-ruminant herbivores. Go Tess and coauthors! doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13…
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