Chapter 14
Discovering the Symbiotic Nature
of Microbial Life: Summarizing Milestone
Publications from 1866 Through 1947
Christon J. Hurst
Abstract This essay summarizes twenty publications which I believe represented
milestones along the path to understanding microbial symbiosis. Most of these are
articles which I selected because they showed remarkable insight which was ahead
of its time. Unfortunately, some people who believed they expressed insights came
close but missed the mark. I follow the progress beginning with Mikhail Stepanovich
Voronin’s conclusion in 1866 that the nodular root growths on black alder (Alnus
glutinosa), and the bulbous root outgrowths of lupine (Lupinus), are in some ways
identical phenomena and in both cases the appearance is caused by a foreign
organism. I include Simon Schwendener’s then controversial conclusion published
in 1868 that lichens are a composite which consists of a fungus growing together
with an algae. Albert Bernhard Frank seems to merit credit with initially proposing
the term ‘symbiotism’ in 1877. Harry Marshall Ward then presented in 1899 a
landmark review “Symbiosis” in which he brought together understanding of the
fungal symbiosis represented by mycorrhiza, plus the bacterial nitrogen fixation
associated with leguminous nodules, and photosynthetic symbioses including
lichens, Azolla, cycads, and protozoa. Included is Paul Ernst Christof Buchner’s
publication in 1921 of his landmark book on intracellular symbioses in animals. I
then finish the essay with a summary of Howard H. M. Bowman’s 1947 article on
antibiosis, and his assumption that disease producing microorganisms were once
non-pathogenic, but subsequently became adapted to a parasitic life in specific hosts.
14.1 Introduction
The identification and understanding of microbial symbioses began with determined
efforts made during the last half of the nineteenth century. That important work was
done by people who bravely were willing to face ridicule from other observers
including harsh comments from their often disbelieving fellow scientists.
C. J. Hurst (*)
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Universidad del Valle Cali, Santiago de Cali, Valle, Colombia
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. J. Hurst (ed.), Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere, Advances in
Environmental Microbiology 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63512-1_14
213
Discovering the Symbiotic Nature
of Microbial Life: Summarizing Milestone
Publications from 1866 Through 1947
Christon J. Hurst
Abstract This essay summarizes twenty publications which I believe represented
milestones along the path to understanding microbial symbiosis. Most of these are
articles which I selected because they showed remarkable insight which was ahead
of its time. Unfortunately, some people who believed they expressed insights came
close but missed the mark. I follow the progress beginning with Mikhail Stepanovich
Voronin’s conclusion in 1866 that the nodular root growths on black alder (Alnus
glutinosa), and the bulbous root outgrowths of lupine (Lupinus), are in some ways
identical phenomena and in both cases the appearance is caused by a foreign
organism. I include Simon Schwendener’s then controversial conclusion published
in 1868 that lichens are a composite which consists of a fungus growing together
with an algae. Albert Bernhard Frank seems to merit credit with initially proposing
the term ‘symbiotism’ in 1877. Harry Marshall Ward then presented in 1899 a
landmark review “Symbiosis” in which he brought together understanding of the
fungal symbiosis represented by mycorrhiza, plus the bacterial nitrogen fixation
associated with leguminous nodules, and photosynthetic symbioses including
lichens, Azolla, cycads, and protozoa. Included is Paul Ernst Christof Buchner’s
publication in 1921 of his landmark book on intracellular symbioses in animals. I
then finish the essay with a summary of Howard H. M. Bowman’s 1947 article on
antibiosis, and his assumption that disease producing microorganisms were once
non-pathogenic, but subsequently became adapted to a parasitic life in specific hosts.
14.1 Introduction
The identification and understanding of microbial symbioses began with determined
efforts made during the last half of the nineteenth century. That important work was
done by people who bravely were willing to face ridicule from other observers
including harsh comments from their often disbelieving fellow scientists.
C. J. Hurst (*)
Cincinnati, OH, USA
Universidad del Valle Cali, Santiago de Cali, Valle, Colombia
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. J. Hurst (ed.), Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere, Advances in
Environmental Microbiology 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63512-1_14
213