Origin and evolution of animal-bacterial symbiosis

该项目旨在了解动物和它们的微生物共生体（holobiont）之间的相互作用是如何进化的，以及它们如何在动物的一生中受到环境的影响。该项目利用澳大利亚本土的模式、大堡礁的海绵和先进的多组学方法（基因组学加细胞生物学），旨在揭示在不断变化的生态和环境条件下，通过发育建立和维持全生生物的机制。由于海绵的进化地位，该项目的成果有望揭示动物-微生物相互作用的基本规则，这些规则对大多数动物和生态系统的健康和保护至关重要。

This project seeks to understand how interactions between animals and their microbial symbionts – the holobiont – evolved, and how they are influenced by the environment over an animal's life. Using a homegrown Australian model, a sea sponge from the Great Barrier Reef, and advanced multi-omic approaches (genomics plus cell biology), this project aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of the holobiont through development, and under changing ecological and environmental conditions. Because of the evolutionary position of sponges, outcomes of this project expect to reveal cardinal rules governing animal-microbe interactions that are fundamental to the health and conservation of most animals and ecosystems.