Dr Lee Henry
Reader in Molecular Microbial Ecology
School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Evolution, Ecology, Genomics, Symbiosis, Entomology, Microbiology
Interests
My research aims to understand how interactions between individuals and species shape the diversification and organisation of life. In particular, I am interested in how symbiotic relationships with microbes evolve. A central theme to my research is to understand how biotic and abiotic interactions shape symbiotic relationships from the molecular level to the macro-evolutionary scale using invertebrates and their symbiotic microbes as a study system. To meet this goal, my group combines theoretical predictions from ecology and evolution with large-scale empirical tests, using state of the art molecular and experimental techniques – including evolutionary genetics, ‘omics, synthetic biology, comparative methods, and laboratory in vivo experiments.Publications
Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional Genomics2025
Dietary niche shapes bacterial community in Indo-Pacific antsCunningham P Vesey R Chaudry-Phipps H Fayle TM Diara U Chomicki G Lestina D Tuma J et al.
Microbiology Spectrum, American Society For Microbiology vol. 13 (10), e01965-e01925.
03-09-2025
Defensive Symbiont Genotype Distributions Are Linked to Parasitoid Attack NetworksWu T Rodrigues AA Fayle TM Henry LM
Ecology Letters, Wiley vol. 28 (2)
01-02-2025
2023
Author Correction: Symbioses shape feeding niches and diversification across insectsCornwallis CK van ’t Padje A Ellers J Klein M Jackson R Kiers ET West SA Henry LM
Nature Ecology & Evolution, Springer Nature vol. 7 (7), 1153-1153.
01-07-2023
A dynamic epibiont community associated with the bone-eating polychaete genus OsedaxGoffredi SK Panossian B Brzechffa C Field N King C Moggioli G Rouse GW Martín-Durán JM et al.
Mbio, American Society For Microbiology vol. 14 (4), e03140-e03122.
29-06-2023
Symbioses shape feeding niches and diversification across insectsCornwallis CK van ’t Padje A Ellers J Klein M Jackson R Kiers ET West SA Henry LM
Nature Ecology & Evolution, Springer Nature vol. 7 (7), 1022-1044.
18-05-2023
Distinct genomic routes underlie transitions to specialised symbiotic lifestyles in deep-sea annelid wormsMartin Duran J Henry L Moggioli G Panosian B Sun Y Thiel D Martin-Zamora FM Tran M et al.
Nature Communications, Nature Research vol. 14
17-05-2023
Evidence of phylosymbiosis in Formica antsJackson R Patapiou PA Golding G Helanterä H Economou CK Chapuisat M Henry LM
Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers vol. 14
05-05-2023
Variation in density, immune gene suppression, and coinfection outcomes among strains of the aphid endosymbiont Regiella insecticola.Goldstein EB de Anda Acosta Y Henry LM Parker BJ
Evolution, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 77 (7), 1704-1711.
24-04-2023
2022
Local adaptation to hosts and parasitoids shape Hamiltonella defensa genotypes across aphid speciesWu T Monnin D Lee RAR Henry LM
Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, The Royal Society vol. 289 (1985)
26-10-2022
Convergent evolution of a labile nutritional symbiosis in antsJackson R Monnin D Patapiou PA Golding G Helanterä H Oettler J Heinze J Wurm Y et al.
The Isme Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 16 (9), 2114-2122.
14-06-2022
2020
Evolution: The Legacy of Endosymbiosis in AntsJackson R Henry LM Wurm Y
Current Biology, Elsevier (Cell Press) vol. 30 (22), R1385-R1387.
16-11-2020
Parallel Evolution in the Integration of a Co-obligate Aphid Symbiosis.Monnin D Jackson R Kiers ET Bunker M Ellers J Henry LM
Current Biology, Elsevier (Cell Press)
29-03-2020
Parallel Evolution in the Integration of a Co-Obligate Aphid SymbiosisMonnin D Jackson R Kiers ET Bunker M Ellers J Henry LM
In Ssrn Electronic Journal
01-01-2020
2019
Host relatedness influences the composition of aphid microbiomesMcLean AHC Godfray HCJ Ellers J Henry LM
Environmental Microbiology Reports, Wiley
20-10-2019
ParasitoidsHenry LM Roitberg BD
In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Elsevier 407-412.
01-01-2019
2018
Symbiont interactions with non-native hosts limit the formation of new symbiosesNiepoth N Ellers J Henry LM
Bmc Evolutionary Biology vol. 18 (1)
12-03-2018
2017
The evolution of host-symbiont dependenceFisher RM Henry LM Cornwallis CK Kiers ET West SA
Nature Communications vol. 8
04-07-2017
2016
Insect symbionts in food websMcLean AHC Parker BJ Hrček J Henry LM Godfray HCJ
Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences vol. 371 (1702)
01-08-2016
2015
Horizontal transfer of facultative endosymbionts is limited by host relatednessŁukasik P Guo H van Asch M Henry LM Godfray HCJ Ferrari J
Evolution, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 69 (10), 2757-2766.
24-09-2015
Insect life history and the evolution of bacterial mutualismHenry LM Maiden MCJ Ferrari J Godfray HCJ
Ecology Letters, Wiley vol. 18 (6), 516-525.
13-04-2015
2013
On the evolution of omnivory in a community contextChubaty AM Ma BO Stein RW Gillespie DR Henry LM Phelan C Palsson E Simon FW et al.
Ecology and Evolution, Wiley vol. 4 (3), 251-265.
29-12-2013
Horizontally Transmitted Symbionts and Host Colonization of Ecological NichesHenry LM Peccoud J Simon J-C Hadfield JD Maiden MJC Ferrari J Godfray HCJ
Current Biology, Elsevier vol. 23 (17), 1713-1717.
29-08-2013
2011
Deleterious Mutation Accumulation in Asexual Timema Stick InsectsHenry L Schwander T Crespi BJ
Molecular Biology and Evolution, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 29 (1), 401-408.
22-09-2011
Molecular Evidence for Ancient Asexuality in Timema Stick InsectsSchwander T Henry L Crespi BJ
Current Biology, Elsevier vol. 21 (13), 1129-1134.
16-06-2011
2010
Predator identity and the nature and strength of food web interactionsHenry LM Bannerman JA Gillespie DR Roitberg BD
Journal of Animal Ecology, Wiley vol. 79 (6), 1164-1171.
14-07-2010
Host‐adapted parasitoids in biological control: Does source matter?Henry LM May N Acheampong S Gillespie DR Roitberg BD
Ecological Applications, Wiley vol. 20 (1), 242-250.
01-01-2010
2009
Size-mediated adaptive foraging: a host-selection strategy for insect parasitoidsHenry LM Ma BO Roitberg BD
Oecologia, Springer Nature vol. 161 (2), 433-445.
06-06-2009
2008
Assortative mating and the role of phenotypic plasticity in male competition: implications for gene flow among host-associated parasitoid populationsHenry LM
Biology Letters, The Royal Society vol. 4 (5), 508-511.
12-08-2008
2007
HOST‐RANGE EVOLUTION IN APHIDIUS PARASITOIDS: FIDELITY, VIRULENCE AND FITNESS TRADE‐OFFS ON AN ANCESTRAL HOSTHenry LM Roitberg BD Gillespie DR
Evolution, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 62 (3), 689-699.
25-12-2007
XIV International Entomophagous Insects Workshop: June 11–15, 2006, Newark, DelawareHopper KR Kester KM Hoelmer KA Acheampong S Gillespie DR Quiring D Alleyne M Ciobanu L et al.
Journal of Insect Science, Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 7 (1)
01-03-2007
2006
Covariance of phenotypically plastic traits induces an adaptive shift in host selection behaviourHenry LM Roitberg BD Gillespie DR
Proceedings of The Royal Society B, The Royal Society vol. 273 (1603), 2893-2899.
15-08-2006
2005
Does mother really know best? Oviposition preference reduces reproductive performance in the generalist parasitoid Aphidius erviHenry LM Gillespie DR Roitberg BD
Entomologia Experimentalis Et Applicata, Wiley vol. 116 (3), 167-174.
15-08-2005
Metabolic plasticity supports a flexible nutritional symbiosis in Cardiocondyla antsCunningham P Martín-Durán JM Oettler J Shultner E Halitschke R Engl T Kaltenpoth M Henry L
In Biorxiv
Convergent evolution of a nutritional symbiosis in antsJackson R Monnin D Patapiou PA Golding G Helanterä H Oettler J Heinze J Wurm Y et al.
In Research Square
Parallel evolution in the integration of a co-obligate aphid symbiosisMonnin D Jackson R Kiers ET Bunker M Ellers J Henry LM
In Biorxiv
Symbiont-driven niche expansion shaped the adaptive radiation of insectsCornwallis C Padje AV Ellers J Klein M Jackson R Kiers T West S Henry L
In Research Square
Symbiont-driven niche expansion shapes the adaptive radiation of insectsCornwallis C Padje AV Ellers J Klein M Jackson R Kiers T West S Henry L
In Research Square
Local adaptation to hosts and parasitoids shape Hamiltonella defensa genotypes across aphid speciesWu T Monnin D Lee RAR Henry LM
In Biorxiv
The hologenome of Osedax frankpressi reveals the genetic interplay for the symbiotic digestion of vertebrate boneMoggioli G Panossian B Sun Y Thiel D Martín-Zamora FM Tran M Clifford AM Goffredi SK et al.
In Biorxiv
Variation in density, immune gene suppression, and co-infection outcomes among strains of the aphid endosymbiont Regiella insecticolaGoldstein EB de Anda Acosta Y Henry LM Parker BJ
In Biorxiv
Distinct genomic routes underlie transitions to specialised symbiotic lifestyles in deep sea annelid wormsMartín-Durán J Moggioli G Panossian B Sun Y Thiel D Martin-Zamora F Tran M Clifford A et al.
In Research Square
A dynamic Campylobacterales epibiont community associated with the bone eating worm OsedaxGoffredi S Panossian B Brzechffa C Field N King C Moggioli G Rouse GW Martín-Durán JM et al.
In Biorxiv
A dynamic epibiont community associated with the bone eating worm OsedaxGoffredi S Panossian B Brzechffa C Field N King C Moggioli G Rouse GW Martín-Durán JM et al.
In Research Square
Evidence of phylosymbiosis in Formica antsJackson R Patapiou PA Golding G Helanterä H Economou CK Chapuisat M Henry LM
In Biorxiv
Defensive symbiont genotype distributions are linked to parasitoid attack networksWu T Rodrigues AA Fayle T Henry LM
In Biorxiv
Grants
Grants of specific relevance to the Centre for Evolutionary and Functional GenomicsBBSRC-NSF/BIO - Host immune suppression as a key adaptation enabling bacterial symbiosesLee Henry
£432,267 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
24-08-2022 - 31-05-2026
Get by with help from your little friends: explaining defensive symbiont dynamics in insectsLee Henry
£254,882 Leverhulme Trust
01-09-2020 - 29-09-2024
SYMOBLIGA: Comparative genomics of host-symbiont dependencyLee Henry
£146,763 EU Commission - Horizon 2020
01-09-2018 - 31-08-2020
Research Fellowship: The Evolution of Bacterial MutualismLee Henry
£534,875 NERC Natural Environment Research Council
31-03-2016 - 30-06-2023
Research Group
PhD Students
- Aurelien Lingua
Investigating The Mechanisms of Tolerance to Bacterial Infection - Samuel Palmer III
Lido Icase Sept 2025
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