Why do hosts malfunction without microbes? Missing benefits versus evolutionary addiction.
Trends Microbiol
; 32(2): 132-141, 2024 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37652785
ABSTRACT
Microbes are widely recognized to be vital to host health. This new consensus rests, in part, on experiments showing how hosts malfunction when microbes are removed. More and more microbial dependencies are being discovered, even in fundamental processes such as development, immunity, physiology, and behavior. But why do they exist? The default explanation is that microbes are beneficial; when hosts lose microbes, they also lose benefits. Here I call attention to evolutionary addiction, whereby a host trait evolves a need for microbes without having been improved by them. Evolutionary addiction should be considered when interpreting microbe-removal experiments, as it is a distinct and potentially common process. Further, it may have unique implications for the evolution and stability of host-microbe interactions.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Evolução Biológica
/
Microbiota
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Trends Microbiol
Assunto da revista:
MICROBIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article