Title |
Can They Make It on Their Own? Hosts, Microbes, and the Holobiont Niche
|
---|---|
Published in |
Frontiers in Microbiology, October 2016
|
DOI | 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01647 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sarah M. Kopac, Jonathan L. Klassen |
Abstract |
Virtually all multicellular organisms host a community of symbionts composed of mutualistic, commensal, and pathogenic microbes, i.e., their microbiome. The mechanism of selection on host-microbe assemblages remains contentious, particularly regarding whether selection acts differently on hosts and their microbial symbionts. Here, we attempt to reconcile these viewpoints using a model that describes how hosts and their microbial symbionts alter each other's niche and thereby fitness. We describe how host-microbe interactions might change the shape of the host niche and/or reproductive rates within it, which are directly related to host fitness. A host may also alter the niche of a symbiotic microbe, although this depends on the extent to which that microbe is dependent on the host for reproduction. Finally, we provide a mathematical model to test whether interactions between hosts and microbes are necessary to describe the niche of either partner. Our synthesis highlights the phenotypic effects of host-microbe interactions while respecting the unique lifestyles of each partner, and thereby provides a unified framework to describe how selection might act on a host that is associated with its microbiome. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
France | 7 | 18% |
United States | 5 | 13% |
Chile | 2 | 5% |
Italy | 1 | 3% |
Switzerland | 1 | 3% |
India | 1 | 3% |
Germany | 1 | 3% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 3% |
Hungary | 1 | 3% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 19 | 49% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Scientists | 22 | 56% |
Members of the public | 16 | 41% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 115 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 30 | 26% |
Researcher | 25 | 21% |
Student > Master | 16 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 11 | 9% |
Student > Postgraduate | 5 | 4% |
Other | 14 | 12% |
Unknown | 16 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 55 | 47% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 19 | 16% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 6 | 5% |
Environmental Science | 5 | 4% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 3 | 3% |
Other | 5 | 4% |
Unknown | 24 | 21% |