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bacterial roles animal origins; reciprocal effects animal–bacterial genomics; bacteria-driven development; microbiome and host physiology; nested ecosystems
Abstract:
In the last two decades, the widespread application of genetic and genomic approaches has revealed a bacterial world astonishing in its
ubiquity and diversity. This review examines how a growing knowledge of the vast range of animal–bacterial interactions, whether in shared
ecosystems or intimate symbioses, is fundamentally altering our understanding of animal biology. Specifically, we highlight recent technological
and intellectual advances that have changed our thinking about five questions: how have bacteria facilitated the origin and evolution of
animals; how do animals and bacteria affect each other’s genomes; how does normal animal development depend on bacterial partners; how
is homeostasis maintained between animals and their symbionts; and how can ecological approaches deepen our understanding of the
multiple levels of animal–bacterial interaction. As answers to these fundamental questions emerge, all biologists will be challenged to broaden
their appreciation of these interactions and to include investigations of the relationships between and among bacteria and their animal
partners as we seek a better understanding of the natural world.
