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A holobiont is an assemblage of a host and the many other species living in or around it, which together form a discrete ecological unit through symbiosis, though there is controversy over this discreteness. The components of a holobiont are individual species or bionts, while the combined genome of all bionts is the hologenome. The holobiont concept was initially introduced by the German theoretical biologist Adolf Meyer-Abich in 1943, and then apparently independently by Dr. Lynn Margulis in her 1991 book Symbiosis as a Source of Evolutionary Innovation. The concept has evolved since the original formulations. Holobionts include the host, virome, microbiome, and any other organisms which contribute in some way to the functioning of the whole. Well-studied holobionts include reef-building corals and humans. A holobiont is a collection of closely associated species that have complex interactions, such as a plant species and the members of its microbiome. Each species present in a holobiont is a biont, and the genomes of all bionts taken together are the hologenome, or the "comprehensive gene system" of the holobiont. A holobiont typically includes a eukaryote host and all of the symbiotic viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc. that live on or inside it. Holobionts are distinct from superorganisms; superorganisms consist of many individuals, sometimes of the same species, and the term is commonly applied to eusocial insects. An ant colony can be described as a superorganism, whereas an individual ant and its associated bacteria, fungi, etc. are a holobiont. There is no doubt that symbiotic microorganisms are pivotal for the biology and ecology of the host by providing vitamins, energy and inorganic or organic nutrients, participating in defense mechanisms, or by driving the evolution of the host. There is still some controversy surrounding these terms, and they have been used interchangeably in some publications. Holism is a philosophical notion first proposed by Aristotle in the 4th century BC.

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Metabolism of the symbiotic jellyfish Cassiopea in a changing environment

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Ocean warming and other anthropogenic impacts have led to a global decline in many photosymbiotic cnidarians, most notably reef-building corals. But some species of the symbiotic and (sub-)tropical upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea are increasingly reported ...

EPFL2023

Nitrogen limitation is the foundation of stable coral-algal symbioses. Diazotrophs, prokaryotes capable of fixing N-2 into ammonia, support the productivity of corals in oligotrophic waters, but could contribute to the destabilization of holobiont function ...

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Symbiotic nutrient cycling enables the long-term survival of Aiptasia in the absence of heterotrophic food sources

Anders Meibom, Nils Rädecker

Phototrophic Cnidaria are mixotrophic organisms that can complement their het- erotrophic diet with nutrients assimilated by their algal endosymbionts. Metabolic mod- els suggest that the translocation of photosynthates and their derivatives from the algae ...

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Hologenome theory of evolution

The hologenome theory of evolution recasts the individual animal or plant (and other multicellular organisms) as a community or a "holobiont" – the host plus all of its symbiotic microbes. Consequently, the collective genomes of the holobiont form a "hologenome". Holobionts and hologenomes are structural entities that replace misnomers in the context of host-microbiota symbioses such as superorganism (i.e., an integrated social unit composed of conspecifics), organ, and metagenome.

Microbiome

A microbiome () is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. It was defined more precisely in 1988 by Whipps et al. as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity". In 2020, an international panel of experts published the outcome of their discussions on the definition of the microbiome.

Microbiota

Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found to be crucial for immunologic, hormonal, and metabolic homeostasis of their host. The term microbiome describes either the collective genomes of the microbes that reside in an ecological niche or within the microbes themselves.

The Three Domains of Life BIOENG-110: General Biology

Explores the three domains of life, metabolic processes, genetic diversity acquisition, and the human microbiome.

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Explores microbial symbiosis, focusing on commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism, and their importance in global health and agriculture.