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. 2019 Jan 11;7(1):5.
doi: 10.1186/s40168-019-0619-4.

Host-microbiota interactions: from holobiont theory to analysis

Jean-Christophe Simon  1 , Julian R Marchesi  2   3 , Christophe Mougel  4 , Marc-André Selosse  5   6
Affiliations

Host-microbiota interactions: from holobiont theory to analysis

Jean-Christophe Simon et al. Microbiome. .

Abstract

In the recent years, the holobiont concept has emerged as a theoretical and experimental framework to study the interactions between hosts and their associated microbial communities in all types of ecosystems. The spread of this concept in many branches of biology results from the fairly recent realization of the ubiquitous nature of host-associated microbes and their central role in host biology, ecology, and evolution. Through this special series "Host-microbiota interactions: from holobiont theory to analysis," we wanted to promote this field of research which has considerable implications for human health, food production, and ecosystem protection. In this preface, we highlight a collection of articles selected for this special issue that show, use, or debate the concept of holobiont to approach taxonomically and ecologically diverse organisms, from humans and plants to sponges and insects. We also identify some theoretical and methodological challenges and propose directions for future research on holobionts.

Keywords: Holobiont; Hologenome; Host-microbiota interactions; Metagenomics; Symbiosis.

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Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Occurrence of terms “Holobiont” (N = 695) and “Hologenome” (N = 102) in Web of Science Core Collection from 1991 to 2018
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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