Department of Philosophy, Logos/BIAP, University of Barcelona, C/Montalegre 6, Barcelona, E-08001, Spain.
Egenis - The Centre for the Study of Life Sciences, University of Exeter, St. German's Rd, Exeter, EX4 4PJ, U.K.
Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2020 Oct;95(5):1308-1324. doi: 10.1111/brv.12610. Epub 2020 May 13.
Given one conception of biological individuality (evolutionary, physiological, etc.), can a holobiont - that is the host + its symbiotic (mutualistic, commensalist and parasitic) microbiome - be simultaneously a biological individual and an ecological community? Herein, we support this possibility by arguing that the notion of biological individuality is part-dependent. In our account, the individuality of a biological ensemble should not only be determined by the conception of biological individuality in use, but also by the biological characteristics of the part of the ensemble under investigation. In the specific case of holobionts, evaluations of their individuality should be made either host-relative or microbe-relative. We support the claim that biological individuality is part-dependent by drawing upon recent empirical evidence regarding the physiology of hosts and microbes, and the recent characterization of the 'demibiont'. Our account shows that contemporary disagreements about the individuality of the holobiont derive from an incorrect understanding of the ontology of biological individuality. We show that collaboration between philosophers and biologists can be very fruitful in attempts to solve some contemporary biological debates.
基于对生物个体性的一种理解（进化的、生理的等），后生动物——即宿主与其共生微生物（互利共生、偏利共生和寄生）——能否同时既是生物个体又是生态群落？在此，我们通过论证生物个体性是部分依赖的，从而支持这种可能性。在我们的解释中，生物集合体的个体性不仅应该由使用的生物个体性概念来决定，还应该由正在研究的集合体部分的生物学特征来决定。在后生动物的具体情况下，应该根据宿主相对或微生物相对来评估它们的个体性。我们通过利用关于宿主和微生物生理学的最新经验证据以及对“demibiont”的最新描述，支持了生物个体性是部分依赖的主张。我们的论述表明，关于后生动物个体性的当代分歧源于对生物个体性本体论的错误理解。我们表明，哲学家和生物学家之间的合作可以在解决一些当代生物学争论方面非常富有成效。
