About
My research lie at the intersection of microbial ecology, disease ecology and conservation, and are rooted in my passion for amphibian and wildlife conservation. Check out the Research page to see what Molly Bletz is currently working on.
Research topics
- Sociology
- Biology
- Ecology
- Social Science
- Political Science
- Economic growth
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Zoology
- Business
- Medicine
- Medical education
- Geography
- Public relations
- Economics
- Environmental science
- Psychology
- Environmental resource management
Selected publications
The Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-16
datasetOpen accessThe Catalogue of Life · 2026-02-17
datasetOpen accessProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2026-04-20
articleOpen accessDisruption of habitat connectivity alters host movement patterns and pathogen exposure in wildlife. Changes in exposure dynamics have led to increased research interest in host-associated microbial communities (i.e., microbiomes), particularly in how repeated encounters with pathogens may drive microbial filtering processes that favor the assembly of pathogen-inhibiting microbiomes, a concept known as the adaptive microbiome principle. Understanding how habitat connectivity and pathogen exposure shape adaptive microbiomes remains a key frontier in disease ecology. For widely distributed waterborne pathogens such as the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), sustained host exposure in contiguous terrestrial–aquatic habitats may promote selection of microbiomes with enhanced antifungal properties. In contrast, under conditions of high habitat split, where key habitats such as forests and water bodies are spatially disconnected, limited exposure to Bd during the pre-breeding and overwintering seasons may hinder the selection of Bd-inhibitory microbiomes that are critical for host protection during the subsequent breeding season, when pathogen exposure in water bodies is at its peak. Our results demonstrate that habitat split may limit recruitment of putative Bd-inhibitory skin bacteria, while Bd loads increase with habitat split for certain amphibian species. Results from Joint Species Distribution Models also indicate that habitat split is a key driver of reduced skin bacterial diversity, even after accounting for biotic and abiotic metrics. Our study provides evidence that spatial connectivity among natural habitats is essential for maintaining multiple levels of biodiversity, from host species to their associated functional microbiomes, highlighting a critical link between environmental disturbance, microbial defenses, and disease dynamics.
Scientific Reports · 2025-06-20 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessEmerging global challenges, such as antimicrobial resistance, have shifted the focus of natural product discovery from well-characterized microbial producers to underexplored taxonomic groups. Here, we computationally and experimentally characterize the biosynthetic potential of the genus Pedobacter, a Bacteroidota taxon known for antibiotic production that harbors numerous uncharacterized secondary metabolite (SM)-encoding biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Through phylogenomic analysis of the genus Pedobacter, we identify a distinct clade enriched in lipopeptide-associated BGCs, most of which lack known chemical products. By developing de novo genetic tools and integrating metabolomics, we linked specific secondary metabolites to their corresponding BGCs. Using synthetic and analytical chemistry as proof of concept, we isolated and structurally characterized twelve linear lipopeptides (cryopeptins A-N), containing rare dehydrovalines from Pedobacter cryoconitis PAMC 27485. We demonstrate that all cryopeptins, despite their structural heterogeneity, are biosynthesized by a single multi-domain non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene cluster. Mechanistically, we propose that this BGC drives chemical diversity through combinatorial fatty acid incorporation and iterative amino acid assembly, resulting in variable peptide chain lengths. This work highlights the biosynthetic versatility of Pedobacter and outlines methods for genetic manipulation in this genus to systematically access its cryptic natural product repertoire.
Frequent coauthors
- 61 shared
Miguel Vences
Technische Universität Braunschweig
- 60 shared
Frank Pasmans
Ghent University
- 60 shared
An Martel
- 57 shared
Matthew J. Gray
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
- 53 shared
Edward Davis Carter
Salisbury University
- 52 shared
Debra L. Miller
- 50 shared
M. Wilber
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
- 49 shared
Lee Berger
University of Melbourne
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