ðə pɹˈɛmɪs fɔːɹ hɪz θˈiəɹi wʌz ðæt nˈætʃɚɹəl sᵻlˈɛkʃən ˈækts ɔnðə hˈɑːloʊbɪˌɑːnt kəmpɹˈaɪzɪŋ ɐ skˈæfoʊld dʒˈiːnoʊm ænd mˈɪɹɪˌæd maɪkɹˈoʊbɪəl kənstˈɪtʃuːənts ɪn daɪvˈɜːs ˈiːkoʊsˌɪstəmz, sᵻlˈɛktɪŋ fɔːɹ pɚsˈɪstəns ʌvðə sˈɛt ʌv dʒɪnˈɛɾɪkli ɛŋkˈoʊdᵻd kˌeɪpəbˈɪlᵻɾiz.
The premise for his theory was that natural selection acts on the holobiont comprising a 'scaffold genome' and myriad microbial constituents in diverse ecosystems, selecting for persistence of the set of genetically encoded capabilities.