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This book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. Resident microbes in healthy animals--including humans- can dictate many traits of the animal host. This animal microbiome is a second immune system conferring protection against pathogens; it can structure host metabolism in animals as diverse as reef corals and hibernating mammals; and it may influence animal behavior, from social recognition to emotional states. These microbial partners can also drive ecologically important traits, from thermal tolerance to diet, and have contributed to animal diversification over long evolutionary timescales.

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"This ambitious book surveys animal-microbe associations and reimagines the animal as a multi-organismal being. Douglas nicely balances conceptual points and detailed examples, making the text both accessible to anyone with a basic background in biology and interesting to specialists in symbiosis and microbiome science. Fundamentals of Microbiome Science is a very enjoyable read."--David Berry, University of Vienna

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Angela E. Douglas is the Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Professor of Insect Physiology and Toxicology at Cornell University. Her books include The Symbiotic Habit (Princeton) and Symbiotic Interactions.

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