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2019
SPIN is born! After a great five days at the University of Fribourg surrounded by fellow Sarracenia researchers, we developed the Sarracenia purpurea International Network
2020
Congrats Alicia McGrew for receiving her PhD from the University of Florida
NSF Rules of Life grant funded!
SNSF Scientific Exchange grant funded!
2021
Congrats Rachel Korn for receiving her PhD from the University of Fribourg
Congrats to Azenor Bideault for receiving her PhD from the Université de Sherbrooke
Congrats to Jacob Grothjan for receiving his PhD from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Tom Miller comes to Switzerland to conduct the SNSF Scientific Exchange project!
SPIN's first publication is out:
Bittleston, Leonora S. and Freedman, Zachary B. and Bernardin, Jessica R. and Grothjan, Jacob J. and Young, Erica B. and Record, Sydne and Baiser, Benjamin and Gray, Sarah M. "Exploring Microbiome Functional Dynamics through Space and Time with Trait-Based Theory" mSystems , v.6 , 2021 https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00530-21
2022
Congrats to Mathilde Besson for receiving her PhD from the Université de Montréal
The crazy sampling scheme across North America and Switzerland (NSF Rules of Life Project) was a success!
Thank you to Jessica Bernandin for her organization skills and to all the many helpers and collaborators on the NSF Rules of Life project!
2024
Congrats to Jessica Bernandin for successfully defending her PhD at Boise State University!
Swiss - US connection: Undergrad Colm Conneen from UT, Tyler visited the University of Fribourg, Switzerland as a recipient of the University of Texas LSAMP Summer Research Academy Abroad Fellowship. He gained lots of Sarracenia purpurea research skill sets by conducting various projects in the lab and in the field under the guidance of Sarah Gray.
SPIN members Leonora Bittleston, Grace Cagle, Erica Young, Zac Freedman, Sarah Gray, and Ben Baiser co-hosted an organized session at the Ecological Society of America conference in Long Beach, CA. The theme of the session was Understanding Functional Community Assembly over Time - Details (rdmobile.com). In addition, we enjoyed seeing other SPIN members at ESA and hearing updates on their research.
SPIN member collaboration publications:
Arellano, A. A., Young, E. B. & Coon, K. L. An inquiline mosquito modulates microbial diversity and function in an aquatic microecosystem. Molecular Ecology 00, e17314, https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17314 (2024).
D’Andrea, R., Khattar, G., Koffel, T., Frans, V.F., Bittleston, L.S. & Cuellar-Gempeler, C. Reciprocal inhibition and competitive hierarchy cause negative biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships. Ecology Letters, 27, e14356. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14356 (2024).
Bernardin, J. R., Gray, S.M.*, & Bittleston, L.S.* Arthropod prey type drives decomposition rates and microbial community processes. Applied and environmental microbiology, e0039424. (2024).
Cagle, G.A., McGrew, A., Baiser, B., Record, S., Gotelli, N.J., Gravel, D., Bittleston, L.S., Young, E.B., Gray, S.M. and Freedman, Z.B. Dispersal Limitation Governs Bacterial Community Assembly in the Northern Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea) at the Continental Scale. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 33: e13922. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13922. (2024)
Bernardin J. R., Young E. B., Gray S. M., Bittleston L. S. Bacterial community function increases leaf growth in a pitcher plant experimental system. mSystems 0:e01298-24. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.01298-24. (2024)
....and if you are curious what prokaryotes and eukaryotes inhabit the moss next to Sarracenia purpurea:
Korn, R., Berg, C., Bersier, L.-F., Gray, S.M.* & Thallinger, G.G.* Habitat conditions and not moss composition mediate microbial community structure in Swiss peatlands. Environmnetal Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16631. (2024).
2025
SPIN member collaboration publications:
Bernardin, J. R., Young, E. B., Cagle, G. A., Freedman, Z. B., & Bittleston, L. S. (2025). Environmental Stress Shapes Bacterial Community Structure and Function Through Interactive Abiotic Effects. Molecular Ecology, e70102.
McGrew, A., Freedman, Z. B., & Baiser, B. (2025). Top‐Down Processes Drive Taxonomic and Phylogenetic Diversity in a Model Aquatic Microbial Community. Ecology, 106(6), e70093.
2026
Congrats to Colm Conneen who returned to Switzerland for one year (2025-2026) as a Fulbright Fellow/Swiss Government Excellence Fellow. In collaboration with Sarah Gray at the University of Fribourg, he conducted multiple experiments with the Sarracenia system that he is now writing up as manuscripts. He is now continuing his Swiss journey as a master student at the University of Lausanne.
Congrats to Aldo Arrelano for defending his Ph.D. and starting a postdoc position at the University of Michigan.
SPIN member collaboration publications:
Baiser, B., Bernardin, J., Young, E.B., Cagle, G.A., Freedman, Z.B., Gray, S.M., Divinagracia, E., Fluck, I.E., Gravel, D., LeClare, S. and Long, Z.T. (2026). Uncovering the role of biogeography, resources, food web composition and time during microbial primary succession. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 293(2080).
Cagle, G.A., Baiser, B., Bernardin, J.R., Bittleston, L.S., Young, E.B., Gray, S.M., and Freedman, Z.B. (2026). Carbon regime structures functional trait trajectories during primary succession in microorganisms. The ISME Journal, 20, wrag134, https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wrag134.
Cuellar-Gempeler, C., Terhorst, C.P. and Miller, T.E. (2026). Opposing effects of succession on bacterial diversity and function within pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) leaves. The American Naturalist, 207(2), pp.296-312.
Gronniger, J.L., Larin-Henriquez, D., Bernardin, J.R., Shoemaker, L.G. and Bittleston, L.S. (2026). Environmental complexity shapes maintenance of bacterial diversity through context-dependent interactions among niche axes. The ISME Journal, p.wrag144.
Pilipczak, N.C. and Miller, T.E. (2026). The Timing of Nectar Production in Leaves of the Purple Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia purpurea. Southeastern Naturalist, 24(4), pp.440-448.
McKee, H., Arellano, A.A., Young, E.B. and Coon, K.L. (2026). Crosstalk in the cold: host–microbe interactions in insect diapause. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, p.saag026.
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