Sponge Microbiome Challenges NeoDarwinism


The recent study Body-Plan Reorganization in a Sponge Correlates with Microbiome Change (Vargas et al., 2023) provides important new insights into the relationship between animals and their associated microbiomes. The study shows that the loss of a key microbial symbiont in the sponge Lendenfeldia chondrodes leads to a dramatic reorganization of the sponge's body plan. This suggests that animal microbiomes play a more important role in development and morphology than previously thought.

The study's findings challenge the traditional neo-Darwinian view of evolution, which emphasizes the role of random genetic mutations and natural selection in driving change. Neo-Darwinism suggests that the evolution of new body plans is a gradual process that occurs through the accumulation of small genetic changes. However, the rapid and dramatic changes observed in L. chondrodes following the loss of a single microbial symbiont suggest that evolution can also occur through more rapid and transformative processes.

One possible explanation for the rapid changes observed in L. chondrodes is that the sponge's microbiome plays a role in regulating gene expression. This means that changes in the microbiome can lead to changes in the way that the sponge's genes are turned on and off. This can have a profound impact on the sponge's development and morphology.

Another possible explanation is that the sponge's microbiome plays a role in providing essential nutrients and metabolites. The loss of a key microbial symbiont could therefore deprive the sponge of essential resources, leading to changes in development and morphology.

The study's findings also raise the question of whether the sponge's microbiome is inherited from its parents. If so, this could provide a mechanism for the rapid transmission of new body plans to future generations.

Overall, the study by Vargas et al. provides important new insights into the relationship between animals and their associated microbiomes. The study's findings challenge the traditional neo-Darwinian view of evolution and raise the possibility that animal microbiomes play a more important role in development and morphology than previously thought.

The study's findings challenge the traditional neo-Darwinian view of evolution in a number of ways:

  • The rapid and dramatic changes observed in L. chondrodes following the loss of a single microbial symbiont suggest that evolution can also occur through more rapid and transformative processes than previously thought. Neo-Darwinism traditionally emphasizes the role of gradual change in evolution. However, the findings of this study suggest that evolution can also occur through more rapid and transformative processes, such as those that are driven by changes in the microbiome.

  • The findings of this study suggest that animal microbiomes may play a more important role in development and morphology than previously thought. Neo-Darwinism traditionally emphasizes the role of genes in development and morphology. However, the findings of this study suggest that animal microbiomes may also play an important role in these processes.

  • The possibility that the sponge's microbiome is inherited from its parents raises the possibility of a new mechanism for the rapid transmission of new body plans to future generations. Neo-Darwinism traditionally emphasizes the role of random genetic mutations in driving evolutionary change. However, the possibility that the sponge's microbiome is inherited from its parents raises the possibility of a new mechanism for the rapid transmission of new body plans to future generations.

Overall, the study's findings challenge the traditional neo-Darwinian view of evolution in a number of ways. The study's findings suggest that evolution can occur through more rapid and transformative processes than previously thought, that animal microbiomes may play a more important role in development and morphology than previously thought, and that the inheritance of the microbiome may provide a new mechanism for the rapid transmission of new body plans to future generations.

Future Directions

The study by Vargas et al. raises a number of important questions for future research. For example, it would be interesting to know whether the changes observed in L. chondrodes are reversible. In other words, if the sponge's microbiome is restored, will its body plan return to normal?

It would also be interesting to know how widespread the phenomenon of microbiome-driven body plan reorganization is. Does it occur in other sponges? Does it occur in other animals?

Finally, it would be interesting to know more about the mechanisms that underlie microbiome-driven body plan reorganization. How do microbiomes regulate gene expression? How do they provide essential nutrients and metabolites? Answering these questions will help us to better understand the relationship between animals and their associated microbiomes, and the role that microbiomes play in evolution.

Conclusion

The study by Vargas et al. provides important new insights into the relationship between animals and their associated microbiomes outside of NeoDarwinism.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beyond the Sequence: The Epigenetic "Fingers" That Play the DNA Keyboard

Image
Imagine the keyboard itself is not a standard piano keyboard, but a modular synthesizer, capable of producing an almost infinite array of sounds. The DNA sequence, then, represents the fundamental building blocks of this synthesizer, the raw materials from which all sounds are generated. Epigenetics, our "fingers," manipulates these building blocks, adjusting parameters like volume, timbre, and rhythm, transforming the raw potential of the DNA sequence into a symphony of cellular functions. We can further refine the "fingers" analogy. Consider that each finger represents a distinct epigenetic mechanism: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA.  DNA methylation, for instance, might be the "index finger," capable of precisely silencing specific genes, like muting individual keys on the synthesizer. Histone modifications, the "middle finger," could represent the ability to adjust the accessibility of the DN...
Read more

Why are Christian philosophers running towards Darwin while biologists are "running" away?

Image
As nature reveals the strength of epigenetics and the weakness of Neo-Darwinism, biologists are “running” away from the long-standing accepted theory. In The Federalist , April 2019, Benjamin Dierker reviews “Why one-third of biologists now question Darwinism”: "Current estimates are that approximately one-third of professional academic biologists who do not believe in intelligent design find Darwin’s Theory inadequate to describe all of the complexity in biology.” Dierker continues, “The important note is that these are not ideologues or religious zealots, nor do they propose a god or biblical solution.  Rather, they find problems in the lack of explanatory power of Darwin’s theory in light of modern understanding of mutation, variation, DNA sequencing and more. These expressions of doubt do not reject naturalism or evolution per se, but the rigor of the Neo-Darwinian model for explaining the development of life.” For 40 years, scientists calculated natural se...
Read more

Rewriting the Rules: Epigenomic Mutation Bias Challenges Randomness in Evolution

Image
This research challenges the long-held dogma that mutations occur randomly, irrespective of their consequences, by demonstrating a clear, epigenome-mediated mutation bias in Arabidopsis thaliana . The study meticulously unveils how mutation rates are not uniform across the genome but are significantly reduced in functionally constrained regions, particularly within gene bodies and essential genes. This discovery fundamentally alters our understanding of evolutionary processes, suggesting that mutation is not a purely directionless force. "Mutation bias reflects natural selection in Arabidopsis thaliana" This opening statement encapsulates the core finding: mutation rates are not random but reflect epigenetic pressures. The authors demonstrate that mutations are less frequent in crucial genomic regions, directly contradicting the prevailing theory of random mutation. This observation suggests an active mechanism that minimizes deleterious mutations in essentia...
Read more