Evolution of multicellularity by collective integration of spatial information.

ABSTRACT: At the origin of multicellularity, cells may have evolved aggregation in response to predation, for functional specialisation or to allow large-scale integration of environmental cues. These group-level properties emerged from the interactions between cells in a group, and determined the selection pressures experienced by these cells. We investigate the evolution of multicellularity with an evolutionary model where cells search for resources by chemotaxis in a shallow, noisy gradient. Cells can evolve their adhesion to others in a periodically changing environment, where a cell's fitness solely depends on its distance from the gradient source. We show that multicellular aggregates evolve because they perform chemotaxis more efficiently than single cells. Only when the environment changes t

SUBMITTER: Colizzi ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7652420 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature