It raises the question: can a colony of individual animals (zooids in this case) that work cooperatively be called a singular animal itself? I think biologists say yes, but it’s an interesting taxonomic boundary.
It raises the question: can a colony of individual animals (zooids in this case) that work cooperatively be called a singular animal itself? I think biologists say yes, but it’s an interesting taxonomic boundary.
AFAIK, a "super-organism" composed of individual entities is defined as one where the long-term fitness interests of those individuals and their groups are completely and permanently aligned.
For example an ant colony is a super-organism. That’s why it makes sense for a soldier ant to die for her queen.
Then why isn't a human a super-organism? We are composed of many different types of bacteria after all.
Some of the "entities" aren't aligned always, like when a person is pregnant for example. I think also our (human) cells doesn't operate as semi-autonomous agents with independent nervous systems and agency, unlike a ant colony.
We think cows are singular animals, despite being made up of lots of different organisms with different DNA. (Much of the diversity happening in the gut.)
I suspect all mammals depend on colonies of gut flora to survive. Humans are no exception.
We would survive
I think the bacteria in your gut outnumber the human cells in your body.