An essential introduction to microbiome science, a new cutting-edge discipline that is transforming the life sciencesThis book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. Resident microbes in healthy animals--including humans-can dictate many traits of the animal host. This animal microbiome is a second immune system conferring protection against pathogens; it can structure host metabolism in animals as diverse as reef corals and hibernating mammals; and it may influence animal behavior, from social recognition to emotional states. These microbial partners can also drive ecologically important traits, from thermal tolerance to diet, and have contributed to animal diversification over long evolutionary timescales.Drawing on concepts and data across a broad range of disciplines and systems, Angela Douglas provides a conceptual framework for understanding these animal-microbe interactions while shedding critical light on the scientific challenges that lie ahead. Douglas explains why microbiome science demands creative and interdisciplinary thinking-the capacity to combine microbiology with animal physiology, ecological theory with immunology, and evolutionary perspectives with metabolic science.An essential introduction to a cutting-edge field that is revolutionizing the life sciences, this book explains why microbiome science presents a more complete picture of the biology of humans and other animals, and how it can deliver novel therapies for many medical conditions and new strategies for pest control.

Preface vii1 Introduction: Animals in a Microbial World 11.1 What Is An Animal? 11.2 Terminology: Dismantling the Tower of Babel 31.3 The Microbiology of Animals 51.4 Scope of this Book 92 The Ancient Roots of the Animal Microbiomes 122.1 Introduction 122.2 The Social Life of Bacteria 132.3 The Multiorganismal Origins of Eukaryotes 202.4 The Ubiquity of Microbial Associations in Eukaryotes 232.5 The Animal Condition 292.6 Summary 363 The Microbiome and Human Health 383.1 Introduction 383.2 The Biogeography of the Human Microbiome 393.3 How to Study Microbiota Effects on Human Health 453.4 The Microbiota and Human Disease 553.5 The Mass Extinction Event Within? 603.6 Summary 644 Defining the Rules of Engagement: The Microbiome and the Animal Immune System 664.1 Introduction 664.2 Immune Effectors and the Regulation of the Microbiota 684.3 The Effects of the Microbiota on Animal Immune Function 764.4 Symbiont-Mediated Protection: Microbiota as the Second Immune System 844.5 Summary 915 Microbial Drivers of Animal Behavior 935.1 Introduction 935.2 Microbes and Animal Feeding Behavior 955.3 Microbial Arbiters of Mental Well-Being 1025.4 Microbes and Animal Communication 1125.5 Summary 1186 The Inner Ecosystem of Animals 1216.1 Introduction 1216.2 The Abundance and Distribution of Animal-Associated Microorganisms 1236.3 Ecological Processes Shaping Microbial Communities in Animals 1276.4 Functions of the Inner Ecosystem 1376.5 Summary 1507 Evolutionary Processes and Consequences 1527.1 Introduction 1527.2 Costs and Benefits 1537.3 Evolutionary Specialization and Its Consequences 1647.4 Symbiosis as the Evolutionary Engine of Diversification 1737.5 Summary 1898 The Animal Reimagined 1918.1 Introduction 1918.2 The Scope of the Animal 1928.3 The Determinants of Animal Phenotype 1978.4 The Animal in the Anthropocene 200References 207Index 231