The microbiome extends host evolutionary potential

Lucas P. Henry (), Marjolein Bruijning, Simon K. G. Forsberg and Julien F. Ayroles ()
Additional contact information
Lucas P. Henry: Princeton University
Marjolein Bruijning: Princeton University
Simon K. G. Forsberg: Princeton University
Julien F. Ayroles: Princeton University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract The microbiome shapes many host traits, yet the biology of microbiomes challenges traditional evolutionary models. Here, we illustrate how integrating the microbiome into quantitative genetics can help untangle complexities of host-microbiome evolution. We describe two general ways in which the microbiome may affect host evolutionary potential: by shifting the mean host phenotype and by changing the variance in host phenotype in the population. We synthesize the literature across diverse taxa and discuss how these scenarios could shape the host response to selection. We conclude by outlining key avenues of research to improve our understanding of the complex interplay between hosts and microbiomes.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25315-x Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-25315-x

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25315-x

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().