Skip to main content
Log in

Harnessing the power of host–microbe symbioses to address grand challenges

  • Comment
  • Published:

From Nature Reviews Microbiology

View current issue Sign up to alerts

Humankind relies on host–microbe symbioses and the ecosystems they form for diverse services, including food and health. It is important to understand how symbioses will fare in a world facing rapid global change and how adaptation and resilience of symbioses can be aided to secure their services for future generations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  1. McFall-Ngai, M. et al. Animals in a bacterial world: a new imperative for the life sciences. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 110, 3229–3236 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Pita, L., Rix, L., Slaby, B. M., Franke, A. & Hentschel, U. The sponge holobiont in a changing ocean: from microbes to ecosystems. Microbiome 6, 46 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Caruso, R., Lo, B. C. & Núñez, G. Host–microbiota interactions in inflammatory bowel disease. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 20, 411–426 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hughes, T. P. et al. Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene. Science 359, 80–83 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Scheele, B. C. et al. Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity. Science 363, 1459–1463 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bell, J. J., Bennett, H. M., Rovellini, A. & Webster, N. S. Sponges to be winners under near-future climate scenarios. BioScience 68, 955–968 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bosch, T. C. G., Guillemin, K. & McFall-Ngai, M. Evolutionary “experiments” in symbiosis: the study of model animals provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the diversity of host–microbe interactions. Bioessays 41, e1800256 (2019).

  8. Nyholm, S. V. & McFall-Ngai, M. J. A lasting symbiosis: how the Hawaiian bobtail squid finds and keeps its bioluminescent bacterial partner. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00567-y (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Visick, K. L., Stabb, E. V. & Ruby, E. G. A lasting symbiosis: how Vibrio fischeri finds a squid partner and persists within its natural host. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00557-0 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Peixoto, R. S. et al. Coral probiotics: premise, promise, prospects. Annu. Rev. Anim. Biosci. 9, 265–288 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author thanks the symbiosis community, in particular for the discussions at the GRC and GRS Animal-Microbe Symbioses since 2015 and the CRC 1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms”, Kiel.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ute Hentschel.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Additional information

Related links

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Aquatic Symbioses Model Systems Initiative: https://www.moore.org/initiative-strategy-detail?initiativeId=symbiosis-in-aquatic-systems-initiative

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hentschel, U. Harnessing the power of host–microbe symbioses to address grand challenges. Nat Rev Microbiol 19, 615–616 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00619-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00619-3

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Navigation