What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems
Contemporary biological research has suggested that some host–microbiome multispecies systems (referred to as “holobionts”) can in certain circumstances evolve as unique biological individual, thus being a unit of selection in evolution. If this is so, then it is arguably the case that some biologic...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00187/full |
| _version_ | 1818268275543375872 |
|---|---|
| author | Javier Suárez Javier Suárez Vanessa Triviño |
| author_facet | Javier Suárez Javier Suárez Vanessa Triviño |
| author_sort | Javier Suárez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Contemporary biological research has suggested that some host–microbiome multispecies systems (referred to as “holobionts”) can in certain circumstances evolve as unique biological individual, thus being a unit of selection in evolution. If this is so, then it is arguably the case that some biological adaptations have evolved at the level of the multispecies system, what we call hologenomic adaptations. However, no research has yet been devoted to investigating their nature, or how these adaptations can be distinguished from adaptations at the species-level (genomic adaptations). In this paper, we cover this gap by investigating the nature of hologenomic adaptations. By drawing on the case of the evolution of sanguivory diet in vampire bats, we argue that a trait constitutes a hologenomic adaptation when its evolution can only be explained if the holobiont is considered the biological individual that manifests this adaptation, while the bacterial taxa that bear the trait are only opportunistic beneficiaries of it. We then use the philosophical notions of emergence and inter-identity to explain the nature of this form of individuality and argue why it is special of holobionts. Overall, our paper illustrates how the use of philosophical concepts can illuminate scientific discussions, in the trend of what has recently been called metaphysics of biology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T20:35:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01301a6e8d96402ba60583c185f1aee1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T20:35:54Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-01301a6e8d96402ba60583c185f1aee12022-12-22T00:12:55ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-03-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.00187495959What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies SystemsJavier Suárez0Javier Suárez1Vanessa Triviño2LOGOS/BIAP, Department of Philosophy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainEgenis, The Centre for the Study of Life Sciences, Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United KingdomDepartment of History of Science, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, SpainContemporary biological research has suggested that some host–microbiome multispecies systems (referred to as “holobionts”) can in certain circumstances evolve as unique biological individual, thus being a unit of selection in evolution. If this is so, then it is arguably the case that some biological adaptations have evolved at the level of the multispecies system, what we call hologenomic adaptations. However, no research has yet been devoted to investigating their nature, or how these adaptations can be distinguished from adaptations at the species-level (genomic adaptations). In this paper, we cover this gap by investigating the nature of hologenomic adaptations. By drawing on the case of the evolution of sanguivory diet in vampire bats, we argue that a trait constitutes a hologenomic adaptation when its evolution can only be explained if the holobiont is considered the biological individual that manifests this adaptation, while the bacterial taxa that bear the trait are only opportunistic beneficiaries of it. We then use the philosophical notions of emergence and inter-identity to explain the nature of this form of individuality and argue why it is special of holobionts. Overall, our paper illustrates how the use of philosophical concepts can illuminate scientific discussions, in the trend of what has recently been called metaphysics of biology.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00187/fullholobionthologenomemicrobiomebiological individualityadaptationemergence |
| spellingShingle | Javier Suárez Javier Suárez Vanessa Triviño What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems Frontiers in Psychology holobiont hologenome microbiome biological individuality adaptation emergence |
| title | What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems |
| title_full | What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems |
| title_fullStr | What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems |
| title_short | What Is a Hologenomic Adaptation? Emergent Individuality and Inter-Identity in Multispecies Systems |
| title_sort | what is a hologenomic adaptation emergent individuality and inter identity in multispecies systems |
| topic | holobiont hologenome microbiome biological individuality adaptation emergence |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00187/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT javiersuarez whatisahologenomicadaptationemergentindividualityandinteridentityinmultispeciessystems AT javiersuarez whatisahologenomicadaptationemergentindividualityandinteridentityinmultispeciessystems AT vanessatrivino whatisahologenomicadaptationemergentindividualityandinteridentityinmultispeciessystems |