Originally shared by Joe CarterThe hologenome theory of evolution recasts the idea of organism from all the genetically identical cells, to all the cells in thier entirety that assemble as a singular unit as a community or a "holobiont". In other words; the host plus all of its symbiotic microbes, many of which perform vital functions.
I would say that the idea of a hologenone is a step in the right direction to get a clearer picture of the relationship engine that adaptively responds to the environment to remain coherent over time. As far as I can tell, an even better lens is to place the outer membrane of a coherent biological system around all the things in the entire ecosystem that contribute to the adaptive capacity of system to continue over time. For instance; oxygen and carbohydrate producing autotrophs need O2 breathing heterotrophs to produce CO2 and nitrates etc. This relationship entanglement between what are now considered separate organisms operates on the same principle as that between organs in a multicellular creature, or between organelles in eukaryotic cells or proteins in all cell types. This ectosymbiotic membrane seems to me to be a clearer representation of the nature of the complex adaptive system that sets itself up as a hedge against losing integrity due to antagonistic environmental influences.
I could be missing something(s)
𝗢𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀
"...The study of evolution requires consideration of organisms’ microbiomes."
https://www.the-scientist.com/critic-at-large/opinion--individuals-are-greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts-65503https://www.the-scientist.com/critic-at-large/opinion--individuals-are-greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts-65503
