Making a microbiome: the many determinants of host-associated microbial community composition. (February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Adair, Karen L; Douglas, Angela E
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in microbiology. Volume 35(2017)
• Page Start: 23
• Page End: 29
• Publication Date: 2017-02
• Subjects: Microbiology -- Periodicals; 579.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2016.11.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1369-5274

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Highlights: The microbiomes in many animal and plant hosts are diverse and variable. Within-host processes are dominated by host-microbe and among-microbe interactions. The microbiome in multiple hosts and the external environment are linked by dispersal. Stochastic processes are major drivers of among-host variation in the microbiome. Community ecology approaches integrate multiple processes shaping microbiome assembly. Abstract : The composition of many host-associated microbial communities is characterized by seemingly contradictory features: strong selection for specific taxa by the host, but substantial variability among hosts and over time within one host. Recent advances have revealed that both deterministic and stochastic processes operating across multiple spatial scales shape the composition of host-associated microbial communities. Although most research has focused on deterministic processes within individual hosts, the microbiota within each host is increasingly recognized to contribute to a wider metacommunity maintained by transmission between individual hosts and dispersal between host-associated and free-living microbial communities. By applying a community ecology perspective encompassing the microbial metacommunity, the many determinants of host-associated microbial community composition can be identified, guiding the directions of future research.