[1] Her seminal research has focused on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum and its bacterial symbionts including Buchnera (bacterium).
[3] In 2013, she returned to the University of Texas at Austin, where she continues to conduct research on bacterial symbionts in aphids, bees, and other insect species.
She believes that a good understanding of genetic drift and random chance could prevent misunderstandings surrounding evolution.
[1] Her current research goal focuses on complexity in life-histories and symbiosis between hosts and microbes, including the microbiota of insects.
[6] Early in Moran's career she studied an aphid species local to Arizona, Melaphis rhois, which has a peculiar life cycle migrating to moss from a complex gall on sumac.
[1] Initially, Moran and Baumman used 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing to demonstrate that Buchnera aphidicola bacteria and their aphid hosts co-evolve, or evolve together, due to their long-term symbiotic relationship.
They also accumulate deleterious mutations through Muller's Ratchet, such that genome reduction reflects an evolutionary phenomenon known as genetic drift.
[14] This research showed that microbiota in social bees degrade plant polymers that the organisms consumes in their diet.
[14] The research compared the bee's microbiome to other species and determined it can model host-microbiota interactions due to similarities such as types of bacteria.
[1] She acknowledges that the MacArthur genius award was a blessing, allowing her to reduce her teaching load to have more time for her research and her daughter.