biostudies-literatureAlsous JIJavna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RSNIGMS NIH HHSU.S. Department of Health &amp; Human Services | National Institutes of Health1391-1395https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8887698biostudies-literatureUnknown17(12)Clonal dominance arises when the descendants (clones) of one or a few founder cells contribute disproportionally to the final structure during collective growth [1-8]. In contexts such as bacterial growth, tumorigenesis, and stem cell reprogramming [2-4], this phenomenon is often attributed to pre-existing propensities for dominance, while in stem cell homeostasis, neutral drift dynamics are invoked [5,6]. The mechanistic origin of clonal dominance during development, where it is increasingly documented [1,6-8], is less understood. Here, we investigate this phenomenon in the <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> follicle epithelium, a system in which the joint growth dynamics of cell lineage trees can be reconstructed. We demonstrate that clonal dominance can emerge spontaneously, in the absence Nature physicsClonal dominance in excitable cell networks.PMC8887698NIH R01GM134204-02R01 GM134204P1-0055Alsous JIShvartsman SYRozman JKosmrlj AMarmion RAfalseClonal dominance in excitable cell networks.Clonal dominance arises when the descendants (clones) of one or a few founder cells contribute disproportionally to the final structure during collective growth [1-8]. In contexts such as bacterial growth, tumorigenesis, and stem cell reprogramming [2-4], this phenomenon is often attributed to pre-existing propensities for dominance, while in stem cell homeostasis, neutral drift dynamics are invoked [5,6]. The mechanistic origin of clonal dominance during development, where it is increasingly documented [1,6-8], is less understood. Here, we investigate this phenomenon in the <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> follicle epithelium, a system in which the joint growth dynamics of cell lineage trees can be reconstructed. We demonstrate that clonal dominance can emerge spontaneously, in the absence 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z2021 Dec2025-04-25T22:29:12.12Z2025-04-06T09:03:51.958ZS-EPMC88876983524219910.1038/s41567-021-01383-0