Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; email:
The Systems Biology Institute, Tokyo, Japan; email:
Ann Rev Mar Sci. 2024 Jan 17;16:443-466. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-022123-104345. Epub 2023 Aug 8.
The holobiont concept (i.e., multiple living beings in close symbiosis with one another and functioning as a unit) is revolutionizing our understanding of biology, especially in marine systems. The earliest marine holobiont was likely a syntrophic partnership of at least two prokaryotic members. Since then, symbiosis has enabled marine organisms to conquer all ocean habitats through the formation of holobionts with a wide spectrum of complexities. However, most scientific inquiries have focused on isolated organisms and their adaptations to specific environments. In this review, we attempt to illustrate why a holobiont perspective-specifically, the study of how numerous organisms form a discrete ecological unit through symbiosis-will be a more impactful strategy to advance our understanding of the ecology and evolution of marine life. We argue that this approach is instrumental in addressing the threats to marine biodiversity posed by the current global environmental crisis.
整体生物概念（即多种生物体紧密共生并作为一个单元运作）正在彻底改变我们对生物学的理解，特别是在海洋系统中。最早的海洋整体生物可能是至少两种原核成员的共生关系。从那时起，共生使海洋生物能够通过与各种复杂程度的生物形成整体生物，从而征服所有海洋栖息地。然而，大多数科学研究都集中在孤立的生物体及其对特定环境的适应上。在这篇综述中，我们试图说明为什么整体生物的视角——具体来说，研究许多生物体如何通过共生形成一个离散的生态单元——将是一种更有影响力的策略，可以促进我们对海洋生物的生态和进化的理解。我们认为，这种方法对于应对当前全球环境危机对海洋生物多样性构成的威胁至关重要。
