and, thereby, contribute to the success of these insects. That tripartite interaction also
contributes to the healthiness of soil.
Perhaps one of the more interesting stories in microbe and host symbiotic
ineractions is that of the ambrosia beetle Euwallacea validus, which feeds on
fungi that it cultivates inside galleries which the beetle digs within the tissue of its
host plant (Aoki et al. 2018). That symbiosis is fascinatingly beneficial for the beetle,
but not fascinatingly beneficial for the attacked plant.
1.2 Evolution Is Not Based upon Altruism, Life Is
a Constant Struggle for Habitat and Niche
The cooperative and competitive nature of life represents an often tenuous balance,
and a constant struggle to maintain evolutionary success.
1.2.1 Life Is Cooperative but it Also Is Competitive
When we look at microbial life we may perceive each species to be doing some
collaborative part in an overall cooperative venture. In actuality, it can all be
perceived as a competitive struggle for habitat and niche.
The collective existance of life, with each species contributing to at least one and
perhaps several microbiomes, has health benefits but also potential perils. A
microbiome is a competitive environment. The health of animals, as one example,
depends in part upon the outcomes of numerous competitive and cooperative
interactions that include the animals gut microbiota. Those relationships exist in
part because they reduce the need for a host to reinvent wheels. If microbes can
supply the needed materials, then the host will not need to make those materials for
itself. Microbes will be found associated with all surfaces and openings that have
exposure to the external environment As such, in addition to gut microbiota, there
also are respiratory microbiota, skin microbiota, genital urinary microbiota, and even
middle ear microbiota. Microbes whose presence is considered beneficial are
solicited and maintained in those microbiota as a bulwark against more harmful
microbes. We often describe those microbiota as representing ecosystems or
microbiomes, with both of those terms signifying inclusive participation by the
hosting species. We use the term ecosystem to represent living organisms as part
of a community which interacts to achieve the flow of nutrients and energy.
Symbionts evolve to compete within the microbiomes which comprise the ecosystem of their host. All the while, hosts evolve to keep their ecosystem on a leash
(Foster et al. 2017). One example of these concepts would be the fact that biofilms
contribute to the heath associated with colonization of a hosts gastrointestinal
mucosa by beneficial microorganisms (de Vos 2015). And yet, the establishment
1 Our Living World Rests upon a Foundation of Microorganisms: The Constant. . .
9
contributes to the healthiness of soil.
Perhaps one of the more interesting stories in microbe and host symbiotic
ineractions is that of the ambrosia beetle Euwallacea validus, which feeds on
fungi that it cultivates inside galleries which the beetle digs within the tissue of its
host plant (Aoki et al. 2018). That symbiosis is fascinatingly beneficial for the beetle,
but not fascinatingly beneficial for the attacked plant.
1.2 Evolution Is Not Based upon Altruism, Life Is
a Constant Struggle for Habitat and Niche
The cooperative and competitive nature of life represents an often tenuous balance,
and a constant struggle to maintain evolutionary success.
1.2.1 Life Is Cooperative but it Also Is Competitive
When we look at microbial life we may perceive each species to be doing some
collaborative part in an overall cooperative venture. In actuality, it can all be
perceived as a competitive struggle for habitat and niche.
The collective existance of life, with each species contributing to at least one and
perhaps several microbiomes, has health benefits but also potential perils. A
microbiome is a competitive environment. The health of animals, as one example,
depends in part upon the outcomes of numerous competitive and cooperative
interactions that include the animals gut microbiota. Those relationships exist in
part because they reduce the need for a host to reinvent wheels. If microbes can
supply the needed materials, then the host will not need to make those materials for
itself. Microbes will be found associated with all surfaces and openings that have
exposure to the external environment As such, in addition to gut microbiota, there
also are respiratory microbiota, skin microbiota, genital urinary microbiota, and even
middle ear microbiota. Microbes whose presence is considered beneficial are
solicited and maintained in those microbiota as a bulwark against more harmful
microbes. We often describe those microbiota as representing ecosystems or
microbiomes, with both of those terms signifying inclusive participation by the
hosting species. We use the term ecosystem to represent living organisms as part
of a community which interacts to achieve the flow of nutrients and energy.
Symbionts evolve to compete within the microbiomes which comprise the ecosystem of their host. All the while, hosts evolve to keep their ecosystem on a leash
(Foster et al. 2017). One example of these concepts would be the fact that biofilms
contribute to the heath associated with colonization of a hosts gastrointestinal
mucosa by beneficial microorganisms (de Vos 2015). And yet, the establishment
1 Our Living World Rests upon a Foundation of Microorganisms: The Constant. . .
9