The body tissue of all multicellular living beings is colonized by an unimaginably large number of microorganisms. Host organisms and microbes have developed together from the very beginning of the evolutionary history of multicellular life. The natural microbiome, i.e. the totality of these bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in and on a body, therefore plays a fundamental role in the functioning of the entire organism: it supports, for example, the absorption of nutrients, fends off pathogens and even communicates with the nervous system. A research team from the Institute of General Microbiology (IfAM) at Kiel University headed by Professor Ruth Schmitz-Streit has now investigated the importance of the natural microbiome for the healthy functioning of the organism and reproduction in simple marine organisms using the Aurelia aurita jellyfish. The scientists showed that animals without a natural microbial colonization are affected in their fitness and a decisive transformation process of their reproductive cycle, which runs in several stages, is completely prevented. The researchers recently published their results in the journal mBio in cooperation with colleagues from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1182 Origin and Function of Metaorganisms.
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Source: Phys.org