Holobiont Architecture: Animal Microbiomes and Metagenomics

The article analyzes the concept of the animal as a holobiont—a system of interdependent genomes in which the host and its microbiota form a functional unity. The author challenges the traditional perception of the organism as an autonomous unit, pointing to the microbiome as a "virtual organ" essential for proper digestion, vitamin synthesis, and immune modulation. Citing the evolutionary example of mitochondrial endosymbiosis, the text argues that interspecies cooperation is a key source of biological possibilities. The introduced concepts of the hologenome and the distinction between microbiota and microbiome serve as a predictive framework for understanding the biological unit not only through anatomy but primarily through dynamic ecosystem interactions and genetic information exchange.