Trejo-Meléndez Víctor José, Contreras-Garduño Jorge
Laboratorio de Ecología-Evolutiva, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Morelia Michoacan Mexico.
Programa de Doctorado del Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Mexico City Mexico.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Aug 19;15(8):e71549. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71549. eCollection 2025 Aug.
In recent decades, the microbiota has emerged as a key driver of biological functions in metazoans, and nematodes are no exception. Advances in genomic technologies have enabled detailed exploration of nematode-microbiota interactions, revealing compelling insights. However, much of our current understanding is derived from studies on the model organism , where the microbiota's role in shaping host phenotypes and genotypes has been extensively characterized. These studies have uncovered the selective pressures influencing the function, structure, and assembly of the microbiota, highlighting the dynamic interplay between nematodes and their associated microbial communities. Despite these findings, the ecological and evolutionary implications of the microbiota in nematodes remain underappreciated. Emerging evidence indicates that the microbiota can modulate nematode life-history traits and mediate trade-offs among fitness components. Moreover, mechanisms such as horizontal gene transfer from bacteria have been shown to alter nematode phenotypes and genotypes, facilitating adaptation to novel or challenging environments. In this review, we integrate life-history theory into the nematodes-microbiota interactions, offering a framework to identify the mechanisms driving phenotypic variation in nematodes. Understanding these processes is essential for uncovering the evolutionary and ecological bases of metazoan diversification, with the microbiota acting as a crucial source of phenotypic and genetic variability.
近几十年来，微生物群已成为后生动物生物学功能的关键驱动因素，线虫也不例外。基因组技术的进步使得对线虫与微生物群相互作用的详细探索成为可能，揭示了引人注目的见解。然而，我们目前的大部分理解都来自于对模式生物的研究，在这些研究中，微生物群在塑造宿主表型和基因型方面的作用已得到广泛描述。这些研究揭示了影响微生物群功能、结构和组装的选择压力，突出了线虫与其相关微生物群落之间的动态相互作用。尽管有这些发现，但微生物群在线虫中的生态和进化意义仍未得到充分认识。新出现的证据表明，微生物群可以调节线虫的生活史特征，并在适合度成分之间介导权衡。此外，诸如细菌水平基因转移等机制已被证明会改变线虫的表型和基因型，促进其对新环境或具有挑战性环境的适应。在这篇综述中，我们将生活史理论整合到线虫与微生物群的相互作用中，提供一个框架来识别驱动线虫表型变异的机制。理解这些过程对于揭示后生动物多样化的进化和生态基础至关重要，微生物群是表型和遗传变异的关键来源。
