Holobiont Urbanism: sampling urban beehives reveals cities' metagenomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Over half of the world's population lives in urban areas with, according to the United Nations, nearly 70% expected to live in cities by 2050. Our cities are built by and for humans, but are also complex, adaptive biological systems involving a diversity of other living species. The majority of these species are invisible and constitute the city's microbiome. Our design decisions for the built environment shape these invisible populations, and as inhabitants we interact with them on a constant basis. A growing body of evidence shows us that human health and well-being are dependent on these interactions. Indeed, multicellular organisms owe meaningful aspects of their development and phenotype to interactions with the microorganisms-bacteria or fungi-with which they live

SUBMITTER: Henaff E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10060141 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature