Exploring the intricate relationships between animals and bacteria, this book reveals how these interactions reshape our understanding of animal biology. It argues that organisms, from invertebrates to humans, are complex communities formed over billions of years of coexistence. The hologenome theory of evolution is presented as a framework for viewing these associations as units of selection, which could transform our approach to environmental diseases and evolutionary biology. The text is aimed at both scientists and those interested in immunobiology and microbiology.
