In-vitro bioluminescence of Vibrios. These bacteria live in symbiotic association with Sepiolas in the sea, and are the historical model for the research on quorum sensing, a cell-to-cell communication mechanism.Copyright : Raphaël LAMI (OOB/SU)
All living species are connected to each other through biotic interactions, including intimate associations known as symbioses involving different species within bacteria, eukaryotes and viruses. Symbiotic associations play critical roles in the distribution patterns and the coexistence of species in natural marine environments, their resilience to natural or anthropogenic disturbances, and the ecological functions they perform in ecosystems. Symbioses represent very good models in evolutionary biology, because symbionts display specific adaptations to their hosts, their environment that itself is evolving.
The study of biological interactions is a dynamic research field that is performed at different levels: molecular, organismal and ecosystemic.
