Approaching the domesticated plant holobiont from a community evolution perspective

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Plants and their associated microbes form a holobiont, but holobiont theories face criticism regarding the unit of selection.
• Previous work conceptualized the plant microbiome as an 'ecosystem on a leash', influenced by plant traits and natural selection.
• The 'double-leash' framework was proposed for domesticated plants, involving artificial selection and plant-to-microbiome influence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the domesticated plant holobiont from a community evolution perspective.
• To demonstrate how community heritability complements the 'double-leash' framework for understanding plant domestication.
• To propose experiments investigating the impact of domestication on community selection within the holobiont.

Main Methods:

• Community evolution framework
• Community heritability analysis
• Conceptual framework development ('double-leash')

Main Results:

• Community heritability provides a community-level view of plant domestication.
• This approach complements the existing 'double-leash' framework.
• Highlights the impact of domestication on plant-microbe interactions.

Conclusions:

• Plant domestication significantly alters plant-microbe interactions.
• Community heritability is a valuable metric for studying selection at the holobiont level.
• Further experimental research is needed to validate these findings.