Dr. Rebecca Duncan
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Appointments and Education
Visiting Researcher, University of California, Berkeley (2019-present)
Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (2016-2019)
Ph.D. Biology, University of Miami (2016)
B.A. Biology, Lewis & Clark College, with honors (2006)
Miller Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley (2016-2019)
Ph.D. Biology, University of Miami (2016)
B.A. Biology, Lewis & Clark College, with honors (2006)
Research Interests
My overarching research interest lies in understanding how evolution gave rise to the dazzling array of organisms that exist on Earth. Biodiversity does not evolve in a vacuum, rather natural selection acts on organisms in the context of their genomes, environments, and interactions with other organisms, particularly bacteria. I am especially interested in how bacteria influence the evolution of animals and other multicellular organisms.
For my Ph.D. in Alex Wilson's lab at the Univeristy of Miami, I studied genome co-evolution between sap-feeding insects like aphids and mealybugs with their nutritional endosymbionts (bacteria that live intracellularly within these insects and provision their hosts with nutrients). There, I worked mainly on how the symbiotic lifestyle shapes the evolution of insect amino acid transporters involved in mediating host/endoysmbiont metabolic integration.
Here at UC Berkeley in the Whiteman lab, I am exploring how bacteria influence animal evolution in the context of the herbivore Scaptomyza flava and its ability to metabolize toxic mustard oils it encounters while feeding on plants in the family Brassicaceae. My research focuses on the role of S. flava gut bacteria in detoxifying mustard oils, thus facilitating the evolutionary shift to herbivory in this drosophilid lineage.
For my Ph.D. in Alex Wilson's lab at the Univeristy of Miami, I studied genome co-evolution between sap-feeding insects like aphids and mealybugs with their nutritional endosymbionts (bacteria that live intracellularly within these insects and provision their hosts with nutrients). There, I worked mainly on how the symbiotic lifestyle shapes the evolution of insect amino acid transporters involved in mediating host/endoysmbiont metabolic integration.
Here at UC Berkeley in the Whiteman lab, I am exploring how bacteria influence animal evolution in the context of the herbivore Scaptomyza flava and its ability to metabolize toxic mustard oils it encounters while feeding on plants in the family Brassicaceae. My research focuses on the role of S. flava gut bacteria in detoxifying mustard oils, thus facilitating the evolutionary shift to herbivory in this drosophilid lineage.
Publications
13. Feng H, Edwards N, Anderson CMH, Althaus M, Duncan RP, Hsu Y-C, Luetje CW, Price DRG, Wilson ACC, Thwaites DT (2019) Trading amino acids at the Aphid/Buchnera symbiotic interface. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA. 116 (32): 16003-16011.
12.Verster KI, Wisecaver JH, Karageorgi M, Duncan RP, Gloss AD, Armstrong E, Price DK, Melon AR, Ali ZM, Whiteman NK (2019) Horizontal transfer of bacterial cytolethal distending toxin B genes to insects. Molecular Biology and Evolution. msz146, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz146
11. Duncan RP, Feng H, Nguyen DM*, Wilson ACC (2016) Gene family expansions in aphids maintained by endosymbiotic and non-symbiotic traits. Genome Biology and Evolution. 8(3):753-764.
*Undergraduate co-author
10. Wilson ACC, Duncan RP (2015) Signatures of host/symbiont genome coevolution in insect nutritional endosymbioses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 112(33):10255-10261.
9. Dahan RA, Duncan RP, Wilson ACC, Dávalos LM (2015) Amino acid transporter expansions associated with the evolution of obligate endosymbiosis in sap-feeding insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha). BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15:52.
8. Duncan RP, Husnik F, Van Leuven JT, Gilbert DG, Dávalos LM, McCutcheon JP, Wilson ACC. 2014. Dynamic recruitment of amino acid transporters to the insect-symbiont interface. Molecular Ecology. Early Online Publication: doi: 10.1111/mec.12627
7. Husnik F, Nikoh N, Koga R, Ross L, Duncan RP, Fukie M, Tanaka M, Satoh N, Bachtrog D, Wilson ACC, von Dohlen CD, Fukatsu T, McCutcheon JP. 2013. Horizontal Gene Transfer from Diverse Bacteria to an Insect Genome Enables a Tripartite Nested Mealybug Symbiosis. Cell. 153(7):1567-78 .
6. Duncan RP, Nathanson L, Wilson ACC. 2011. Novel male-biased expression in paralogs of the aphid slimfast nutrient amino acid transporter expansion. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11:253.
5. Price DRG*, Duncan RP*, Shigenobu S, Wilson ACC. 2011. Genome expansion and differential expression of amino acid transporters at the aphid/Buchnera symbiotic interface. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 28(11):3113–3126.
*Joint first authors
4. Duncan RP, Rynerson MR, Ribera C, Binford GJ. 2010. Diversity of Loxosceles spiders in Northwestern Africa and molecular evidence for cryptic species in the Loxosceles rufescens lineage. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55(1): 234-248.
3. Cziko A-MJ, McCann CT, Howlett IC, Barbee SA, Duncan RP, Luedemann R, Zarnescu D, Zinsmaier KE, Parker RP, Ramaswami M. 2009. Genetic Modifiers of DFMR1 Encode RNA-Granule Components in Drosophila. Genetics. 182:1051-1060.
2. Binford GJ, Callahan MS, Bodner MR, Rynerson MR, Berea Núñez P, Ellison CE, Duncan RP. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships of Loxosceles and Sicarius spiders are consistent with Western Gondwanan vicariance. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 49:538-553.
1. Duncan RP, Autumn K, Binford GJ. 2007. Convergent setal morphology in sand-covering spiders suggests a design principle for particle capture. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.1629:3049-3056.
Highlighted in Nature 418:758.
12.Verster KI, Wisecaver JH, Karageorgi M, Duncan RP, Gloss AD, Armstrong E, Price DK, Melon AR, Ali ZM, Whiteman NK (2019) Horizontal transfer of bacterial cytolethal distending toxin B genes to insects. Molecular Biology and Evolution. msz146, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz146
11. Duncan RP, Feng H, Nguyen DM*, Wilson ACC (2016) Gene family expansions in aphids maintained by endosymbiotic and non-symbiotic traits. Genome Biology and Evolution. 8(3):753-764.
*Undergraduate co-author
10. Wilson ACC, Duncan RP (2015) Signatures of host/symbiont genome coevolution in insect nutritional endosymbioses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 112(33):10255-10261.
9. Dahan RA, Duncan RP, Wilson ACC, Dávalos LM (2015) Amino acid transporter expansions associated with the evolution of obligate endosymbiosis in sap-feeding insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha). BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15:52.
8. Duncan RP, Husnik F, Van Leuven JT, Gilbert DG, Dávalos LM, McCutcheon JP, Wilson ACC. 2014. Dynamic recruitment of amino acid transporters to the insect-symbiont interface. Molecular Ecology. Early Online Publication: doi: 10.1111/mec.12627
7. Husnik F, Nikoh N, Koga R, Ross L, Duncan RP, Fukie M, Tanaka M, Satoh N, Bachtrog D, Wilson ACC, von Dohlen CD, Fukatsu T, McCutcheon JP. 2013. Horizontal Gene Transfer from Diverse Bacteria to an Insect Genome Enables a Tripartite Nested Mealybug Symbiosis. Cell. 153(7):1567-78 .
6. Duncan RP, Nathanson L, Wilson ACC. 2011. Novel male-biased expression in paralogs of the aphid slimfast nutrient amino acid transporter expansion. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 11:253.
5. Price DRG*, Duncan RP*, Shigenobu S, Wilson ACC. 2011. Genome expansion and differential expression of amino acid transporters at the aphid/Buchnera symbiotic interface. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 28(11):3113–3126.
*Joint first authors
4. Duncan RP, Rynerson MR, Ribera C, Binford GJ. 2010. Diversity of Loxosceles spiders in Northwestern Africa and molecular evidence for cryptic species in the Loxosceles rufescens lineage. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55(1): 234-248.
3. Cziko A-MJ, McCann CT, Howlett IC, Barbee SA, Duncan RP, Luedemann R, Zarnescu D, Zinsmaier KE, Parker RP, Ramaswami M. 2009. Genetic Modifiers of DFMR1 Encode RNA-Granule Components in Drosophila. Genetics. 182:1051-1060.
2. Binford GJ, Callahan MS, Bodner MR, Rynerson MR, Berea Núñez P, Ellison CE, Duncan RP. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships of Loxosceles and Sicarius spiders are consistent with Western Gondwanan vicariance. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 49:538-553.
1. Duncan RP, Autumn K, Binford GJ. 2007. Convergent setal morphology in sand-covering spiders suggests a design principle for particle capture. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.1629:3049-3056.
Highlighted in Nature 418:758.
Honors and Awards
- Miller Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley (2016-2019)
- Graduate Student Exemplar award, University of Miami (2016)
- 2nd place poster award, Graduate Symposium, Department of Biology, University of Miami (2015)
- Outstanding Graduate Student Paper, University of Miami (2014)
- Annual Student Award for the Appreciation for the Biology of Pest Insects, Ambrosia Symbiosis Research Group and the TREE Foundation (2014)
- Dissertation Award, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Miami (2014)
- 2nd place poster award, Graduate Symposium, Department of Biology, University of Miami (2012)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2011-2014)
- Honorable Mention, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2010)
- 1st place poster award, Graduate Symposium, Department of Biology, University of Miami (2010)
- Best student talk runner up, American Arachnological Society Annual Meeting (2006)