Microbes Drive Evolution of Animals and Plants: the Hologenome Concept

The hologenome concept of evolution postulates that the holobiont (host plus symbionts) with its hologenome (host genome plus microbiome) is a level of selection in evolution. Multicellular organisms can no longer be considered individuals by the classical definitions of the term. Every natural anim...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inmBio Vol. 7; no. 2; p. e01395
Main Authors Rosenberg, Eugene, Zilber-Rosenberg, Ilana
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Society for Microbiology 31.03.2016
Subjects
Adaptation, Biological
Animals
Biological Evolution
Biota
Humans
Microbiota
Minireview
Plants
Recombination, Genetic
Selection, Genetic
Symbiosis
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Summary:The hologenome concept of evolution postulates that the holobiont (host plus symbionts) with its hologenome (host genome plus microbiome) is a level of selection in evolution. Multicellular organisms can no longer be considered individuals by the classical definitions of the term. Every natural animal and plant is a holobiont consisting of the host and diverse symbiotic microbes and viruses. Microbial symbionts can be transmitted from parent to offspring by a variety of methods, including via cytoplasmic inheritance, coprophagy, direct contact during and after birth, and the environment. A large number of studies have demonstrated that these symbionts contribute to the anatomy, physiology, development, innate and adaptive immunity, and behavior and finally also to genetic variation and to the origin and evolution of species. Acquisition of microbes and microbial genes is a powerful mechanism for driving the evolution of complexity. Evolution proceeds both via cooperation and competition, working in parallel.
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Editor R. John Collier, Harvard Medical School
ISSN:2161-2129
2150-7511
DOI:10.1128/mBio.01395-15