A Kiel research team has used a near-natural compost mesocosm experiment to demonstrate that worm hosts and the associated microorganisms jointly mediate adaptation to a novel environment
—from the simplest animal and plant organisms to humans—live in close association with a variety of microorganisms, known as the microbiome, which colonize on and in their tissues and form symbiotic relationships with the host. Many vital functions such as nutrient uptake, regulation of the immune system or even neurological processes result from the interactions between host organism and microbial symbionts.
Researchers from the Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics group led by Professor Hinrich Schulenburg at the Institute of Zoology at Kiel University have now focused on the joint influences of host organisms and the microbiome in a new study.
"In nature, the worm lives on decaying organic material such as fruit and vegetable matter. We tried to recreate such a compost environment under controlled laboratory conditions and developed so-called mesocosms based on plant material. With the help of these artificial compost habitats, we succeeded in creating a sustainable habitat for the worm and its microbiome.
This fitness advantage is therefore genetically controlled and thus an environmental adaptation. The advantage for the organism as a whole appears to be manifested in an improved stress response, which assists the worms to cope with complex environments such as the compost habitat with its numerous structural and physiological challenges.
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