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The evolution of host-symbiont dependence.

Roberta M Fisher^1,2, Lee M Henry³, Charlie K Cornwallis⁴

¹Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1085-1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Nature Communications

|July 5, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Host-bacterial symbiosis dependence varies with symbiont function and transmission. Nutrient-provisioning, vertically transmitted symbionts increase host dependence, impacting host fitness upon removal.

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Evolutionary Biology
Genomics

Background:

Organisms form symbiotic partnerships with microbes for various benefits.
Host dependence on symbionts ranges from facultative to extreme, influencing evolutionary trajectories.
Understanding symbiont-host dependence is crucial for explaining the evolution of complex life, like eukaryotic cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the factors driving host dependence in symbiotic relationships.
To test correlations between symbiont function, transmission mode, genome size, and host dependence.
To elucidate the evolutionary mechanisms underlying obligate symbiotic associations.

Main Methods:

Phylogenetic comparative analyses were conducted on 106 host-bacterial symbioses.
Correlations between symbiont characteristics (function, transmission, genome size) and host dependence were assessed.
Host fitness was measured upon symbiont removal to quantify dependence.

Main Results:

Symbiont function and transmission mode significantly correlate with host dependence.
Host fitness reduction is most pronounced when nutrient-provisioning, vertically transmitted symbionts are absent.
A negative correlation exists between host dependence and symbiont genome size for vertically transmitted symbionts.

Conclusions:

Symbiont function and transmission mode are key drivers of irreversible host-symbiont dependence.
Vertical transmission and specialized functions, like nutrient provisioning, can lead to obligate symbioses.
Genome size in vertically transmitted symbionts is inversely related to host dependence.