Christopher X J. Jensen
Associate Professor, Pratt Institute

Megan Frederickson shares the wonder of ant cooperation with Toronto Library patrons

Posted 31 Oct 2012 / 0

Toronto Public Library/University of Toronto Exploring Evolution series “The Evolution of Cooperation: Ant-Plant Associations in Peru” We need more scientists out there explaining the wonders of evolutionary biology!

A Minor Post, Adaptation, Behavior, Coevolution, Competition, Cooperation, Evolution, Interactions, Keystone Species, Mutualism, Parasitism, Predation, Public Outreach, Social Networks, Tropical Forest

Bacterial societies defy selfish gene predictions

Posted 10 Sep 2012 / 0

MITnews “Weapon-wielding marine microbes may protect populations from foes“

A Minor Post, Adaptation, Altruism, Competition, Cooperation, Evolution, Microbial Ecology, Mutualism, Superorganisms, Web

Perhaps nestedness is just an artifact of ecological opportunity (and not stability)

Posted 27 Jun 2012 / 0

One of my chief interests is stability: I am curious about what allows for the persistence of genes, individuals, groups, species, and communities. This is a broad question and it may not have single, simple answer, but it is exciting to think that there may be ‘rules of stability’ in nature that might help us Read More

A Major Post, Articles, Coevolution, Ecological Modeling, Interactions, Mutualism, Mutualistic Networks, Pollination, System Stability

Could differential symbiosis be a mechanism by which genetically-variable hosts speciate?

Posted 25 Jun 2012 / 0

PLoS One “Symbiotic Associations in the Phenotypically-Diverse Brown Alga Saccharina japonica“

A Minor Post, Mutualism, Speciation

Mutualistic fungus transfers nitrogen from parasitized insects to its plant host

Posted 22 Jun 2012 / 0

Science “Endophytic Insect-Parasitic Fungi Translocate Nitrogen Directly from Insects to Plants” What I find fascinating about this story is how a fungus that parasitizes one species can use that ability to form a mutualism with a plant host. I wonder whether there is a value-added feature of this parasitism: are the parasitized insects potential parasites Read More

A Minor Post, Articles, Coevolution, Host-Pathogen Evolution, Mutualism, Parasitism

Honey bees harbor a remarkably diverse community of mutualistic gut microbes

Posted 20 Jun 2012 / 0

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “Functional diversity within the simple gut microbiota of the honey bee“

A Minor Post, Articles, Coevolution, Mutualism

“Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence” exhibit at the American Museum on Natural History

Posted 19 Jun 2012 / 0

Today I had the pleasure of accompanying my daughter’s fourth grade class to the “Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence” exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. Beyond making sure that all students returned home safely, I was also interested in how this exhibit explained bioluminescence as an evolved adaptation. When I teach Evolution, one Read More

A Major Post, Adaptation, Behavior, Coevolution, Competition, Convergence, Cooperation, Evolution, Interactions, Marine Ecosystems, Museum design, Museums & Zoos, Mutualism, Phylogenetics, Predation, Sex and Reproduction, Terrestrial

Understanding the effects of asymmetry and relatedness on social volunteerism

Posted 06 Jun 2012 / 0

I am proud to announce the recent publication of a new paper in the Chinese Science Bulletin with collaborators from Yunnan University and the Kunming Institute of Zoology in Kunming, China. Our paper, entitled “Cooperation in an asymmetric volunteer’s dilemma game with relatedness“, uses a game-theoretic analysis of a new variant to the volunteer’s dilemma to Read More

Evolutionary Modeling, Game Theory, Kin Selection, Modeling (General), Mutualism, My publications

Paulinella chromatophora’s photosynthetic engine blurs the line between endosymbiont and organelle

Posted 15 May 2012 / 0

BMC Biology “Evolving a photosynthetic organelle” What I find fascinating about this particular protist is that it suggests that the endosymbiotic acquisition of chloroplasts may not have been a singular event, and protists may continue to incorporate new bacteria, creating potential for novel evolutionary change.

A Minor Post, Articles, Mutualism

Painting called “Endosymbiosis” honors the legacy of Lynn Margulis

Posted 08 May 2012 / 0

Ashland Daily Tidings “Paintings merge art and science“

A Minor Post, Mutualism, Science in Art & Design