Lisa Bono, Ph.D.

Research Interests

Dr. Bono's research focuses on evolution in a changing environment.Understanding the fantastic biodiversity that is seen in the world requires both an understanding of the mechanisms generating such diversity and the selective forces that favor it. Although the interplay between ecology and evolution was historically separated by time scales, the complex dynamics between these forces have recently become better recognized; arguably nowhere more so than in viruses. Dr. Bono's research program focuses on these issues using viruses as both a model system to study general questions in biology but also the ecology and evolution of viruses themselves. Much of her research utilizes an experimental evolution approach with bacteria-infecting viruses (bacteriophages or simply phages), such as the Pseudomonas syringae phage phi6, but also includes influenza and environmental isolated phage. Her lab is currently working on the following projects in the lab:

• Ecological drivers of viral host range evolution
• Evolvability consequences of host range expansion
• Sociovirology and its implications for viral evolution
• Isolation of viruses from environmental samples

Select Publications

• Bono LM, Mao S, Done RE, Okamoto KW, Chan BK, and Turner PE. 2021. Advancing phage therapy through the lens of virus host-breadth and emergence potential. Advances in Viral Research. 111: 63-110. DOI: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2021.07.004
• Bono LM, Draghi JA, and Turner PE. 2020. Evolvability costs of niche expansion. Trends in Genetics. DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.10.003
• Bono LM, Smith LB, Pfennig DW, and Burch CL. 2017. The emergence of performance trade-offs during local adaptation: insights from experimental evolution. Molecular Ecology 27(6) 1720-33 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13979
• Bono LM, Gensel CL, Pfennig DW, and Burch CL. 2015. Evolutionary rescue and the coexistence of generalist and specialist competitors: an experimental test. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 282(1821):20151932. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1932
• Bono LM, Gensel CL, Pfennig DW, and Burch CL. 2013. Competition and the origins of novelty: experimental evolution of niche-width expansion in a virus. Biology Letters 9(1) DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0616

 

A complete list of Dr. Bono's publication can be found at Google Scholar or ORCID.