
pmid: 25770744
Few biologists have studied the evolutionary processes at work in indoor environments. Yet indoor environments comprise approximately 0.5% of ice-free land area--an area as large as the subtropical coniferous forest biome. Here we review the emerging subfield of 'indoor biome' studies. After defining the indoor biome and tracing its deep history, we discuss some of its evolutionary dimensions. We restrict our examples to the species found in human houses--a subset of the environments constituting the indoor biome--and offer preliminary hypotheses to advance the study of indoor evolution. Studies of the indoor biome are situated at the intersection of evolutionary ecology, anthropology, architecture, and human ecology and are well suited for citizen science projects, public outreach, and large-scale international collaborations.
Microbiota, microbiome, phylogeography, built environment, Biological Evolution, anthrome, urban ecology, Housing, Animals, Humans, Ecosystem, Plant Physiological Phenomena
Microbiota, microbiome, phylogeography, built environment, Biological Evolution, anthrome, urban ecology, Housing, Animals, Humans, Ecosystem, Plant Physiological Phenomena
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| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
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