ArticleTheory in biosciences = Theorie in den Biowissenschaften2018
Some theoretical insights into the hologenome theory of evolution and the role of microbes in speciation.
Article in Theory in biosciences = Theorie in den Biowissenschaften, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 21 papers.
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21 citing papers in PubMed.
- Two kinds of evolutionary individuals: the concept of common interest as an evolutionary foundation of dualism on biological individuality.History and philosophy of the life sciences · 2026Article
- The hologenome concept and its implications for animal breeding in the multi-omics Era.Genetics and molecular biology · 2026Article
- The Microbiome as a Protagonist of Xylophagous Insects in Adaptation to Environmental Conditions and Climate Change.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Plant Genetic Bases Associated With Microbiota Descriptors Shed Light Into a Novel Holobiont Generalist Genes Theory.Environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Multilevel selection theory informs context-dependent mycorrhizal functioning.Frontiers in microbiomes · 2025Article
- Symbiotic bacteria associated with different species ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Food for thought: Making the case for food produced via regenerative agriculture in the battle against non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs).One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024Review
- Quorum sensing-related activities of beneficial and pathogenic bacteria have important implications for plant and human health.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Review
- Scrutinizing microbiome determinism: why deterministic hypotheses about the microbiome are conceptually ungrounded.History and philosophy of the life sciences · 2024Article
- How many ways can you die? Multiple biological deaths as a consequence of the multiple concepts of an organism.Theoretical medicine and bioethics · 2022Article
- Gut mutualists can persist in host populations despite low fidelity of vertical transmission.Evolutionary human sciences · 2022Article
- Role of Insect Gut Microbiota in Pesticide Degradation: A Review.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
- A pluralistic view of holobionts in the context of process ontology.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Reconstitution and Transmission of Gut Microbiomes and Their Genes between Generations.Microorganisms · 2021Review
- Divergence together with microbes: A comparative study of the associated microbiomes in the closely related Littorina species.PloS one · 2021Article
- Arthropod-Microbiota Integration: Its Importance for Ecosystem Conservation.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Review
- Human gastrointestinal (GI) tract microbiome-derived pro-inflammatory neurotoxins fromIntegrative food, nutrition and metabolism · 2020Article
- What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
- The evolution of universal adaptations of life is driven by universal properties of matter: energy, entropy, and interaction.F1000Research · 2020Article
- The role of multilevel selection in host microbiome evolution.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
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2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Research on symbiotic communities (microbiomes) of multicellular organisms seems to be changing our understanding of how species of plants and animals have evolved over millions of years. The quintessence of these discoveries is the emergence of the hologenome theory of evolution, founded on the concept that a holobiont (a host along with all of its associated symbiotic microorganisms) acts a single unit of selection in the process of evolution. Although the hologenome theory has become very popular among certain scientific circles, its principles are still being debated. In this paper, we argue, firstly, that only a very small number of symbiotic microorganisms are sufficiently integrated into multicellular organisms to act in concert with them as units of selection, thus rendering claims that holobionts are units of selection invalid. Secondly, even though holobionts are not units of selection, they can still constitute genuine units from an evolutionary perspective, provided we accept certain constraints: mainly, they should be considered units of co-operation. Thirdly, we propose a reconciliation of the role of symbiotic microorganisms with the theory of speciation through the use of a developed framework. Mainly, we will argue that, in order to understand the role of microorganisms in the speciation of multicellular organisms, it is not necessary to consider holobionts units of selection; it is sufficient to consider them units of co-operation.
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