Abstract
Human Gut Hosts a Dynamically Evolving Microbial Ecosystem
Highlights
The struggle for survival is challenging enough that diverse forms of life manage the feat only with the help of others
Humans differ little from termites: just as microbes in the termite gut break down cellulose in its wood-based diet, vast throngs of bacteria in the human intestinal tract break down polysaccharides from plants for us
By analyzing the functions and likely origin of genetic features suited to intestinal life, the researchers show that microbes gain the genetic diversity necessary for adapting to their gut habitat in part from other microbes
Summary
The struggle for survival is challenging enough that diverse forms of life manage the feat only with the help of others. Scientists have made considerable progress in identifying the constituents of the human gut microbiota, but many questions remain about how the intestinal environment has shaped the evolution of our single-celled companions’ genomes. By analyzing the functions and likely origin of genetic features suited to intestinal life, the researchers show that microbes gain the genetic diversity necessary for adapting to their gut habitat in part from other microbes.
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