The fundamental biology of multi-species interactions
Animals are ecosystems
Animals exist as complex ecosystems that depend on symbiotic relationships between microorganisms and the host to regulate key biological functions.
Symbioses can be harmful, as in the case of invading pathogens in humans, or beneficial, exemplified by the transfer of photosynthetically derived nutrients from algae to their cnidarian hosts.
Developing symbiosis
Cnidarians, including corals and sea anemones, form a symbiotic relationship with algae that underpins coral reef ecosystems. Using the Cnidarian ‘Aiptasia’ as a model system, we are uncovering how these different species, the algal symbionts and their cnidarian hosts, form and develop a symbiotic relationship that shapes the multi-species holobiont over time.