The Superorganism Revolution » American Scientist
The Superorganism Revolution
http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/num2/the-superorganism-revolution/1 The lack of distinction between ecological v evolutionary change for the #microbiome
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This distinction between ecological and evolutionary timescales appears fundamental, but may not apply when dealing with the microbiome. For many if not all members of the human microbial fauna, generation times are measured in hours or even minutes. These short generation times, coupled with the large population sizes of many bacteria, effectively elide the boundary between ecological and evolutionary time (this attribute also accounts for the fiendish ability of viruses to outrace both the immune system and efforts to combat viral infections).
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