Flores Clara, Millard Sophie, Seekatz Anna M
Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Life Sciences Building 157 A, 190 Collings St, Clemson, SC 29634 USA.
Curr Clin Microbiol Rep. 2025;12(1):9. doi: 10.1007/s40588-025-00246-z. Epub 2025 Apr 15.
This review explores the application of classical ecological theory to host-associated microbiomes during initial colonization, maintenance, and recovery. We discuss unique challenges of applying these theories to host-associated microbiomes and host factors to consider going forward.
Recent studies applying community ecology principles to host microbiomes continue to demonstrate a role for both selective and stochastic processes in shaping host-associated microbiomes. However, ecological frameworks developed to describe dynamics during homeostasis do not necessarily apply during diseased or highly perturbed states, where large variations can potentially lead to alternate stable states.
Despite providing valuable insights, the application of ecological theories to host-associated microbiomes has some unique challenges. The integration of host-specific factors, such as genotype or immune dynamics in ecological models or frameworks is crucial for understanding host microbiome assembly and stability, which could improve our ability to predict microbiome outcomes and improve host health.
本综述探讨经典生态理论在宿主相关微生物群落初始定植、维持和恢复过程中的应用。我们讨论了将这些理论应用于宿主相关微生物群落的独特挑战以及未来需要考虑的宿主因素。
最近将群落生态学原理应用于宿主微生物群落的研究继续表明，选择性和随机过程在塑造宿主相关微生物群落中均发挥作用。然而，为描述稳态过程中的动态而开发的生态框架不一定适用于疾病状态或高度扰动状态，在这些状态下，巨大的变化可能会导致交替稳定状态。
尽管提供了有价值的见解，但将生态理论应用于宿主相关微生物群落仍存在一些独特挑战。在生态模型或框架中整合宿主特异性因素，如基因型或免疫动态，对于理解宿主微生物群落的组装和稳定性至关重要，这可以提高我们预测微生物群落结果和改善宿主健康的能力。
