Why Evolve Reliance on the Microbiome for Timing of Ontogeny?

The timing of life history events has important fitness consequences. Since the 1950s, researchers have combined first principles and data to predict the optimal timing of life history transitions. Recently, a striking mystery has emerged. Such transitions can be shaped by a completely different bra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:mBio 2019-10, Vol.10 (5)
Main Authors: Metcalf, C Jessica E, Henry, Lucas P, Rebolleda-Gómez, María, Koskella, Britt
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
bet-hedging
Ecological and Evolutionary Science
host
Host Microbial Interactions
Life Cycle Stages
life history evolution
microbiome
Microbiota
ontogeny
Opinion/Hypothesis
Plant Development
Plants
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Summary:The timing of life history events has important fitness consequences. Since the 1950s, researchers have combined first principles and data to predict the optimal timing of life history transitions. Recently, a striking mystery has emerged. Such transitions can be shaped by a completely different branch of the tree of life: species in the microbiome. Probing these interactions using testable predictions from evolutionary theory could illuminate whether and how host-microbiome integrated life histories can evolve and be maintained. Beyond advancing fundamental science, this research program could yield important applications. In an age of microbiome engineering, understanding the contexts that lead to microbiota signaling shaping ontogeny could offer novel mechanisms for manipulations to increase yield in agriculture by manipulating plant responses to stressful environments, or to reduce pathogen transmission by affecting vector efficiency. We combine theory and evidence to illuminate the essential questions underlying the existence of crobiome- ependent ntogenetic iming (MiDOT) to fuel research on this emerging topic.
ISSN:2161-2129
2150-7511
DOI:10.1128/mBio.01496-19