Evolution of individuality during the transition from unicellular to multicellular life

Michod, Richard E.

doi:10.1073/pnas.0701489104

Cited by 272 publications

(265 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

255

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The origin of the zygote is generally considered to have been a crucial bottlenecking singularity that reduced conflict by starting each individual as a merger of the minimal number of independent nuclear genomes to allow recombination and a single clone of uniparentally transmitted cytoplasmic symbionts that became organelles while contributing, and ultimately retaining some of their own genomes (Buss 1987;Maynard Smith & Szathmáry 1995;Queller 2000;Grosberg & Strathmann 2007;Michod 2007). Just like life-time monogamous pairs, the sexual zygote allowed transitions towards lifetime-committed group-living based on the predictable production equivalence of vertical (adhering) versus horizontal (dispersing) gene copies in the next generation (see also Queller 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifetime monogamy and the evolution of eusociality

Boomsma

2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

333

378

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

All evidence currently available indicates that obligatory sterile eusocial castes only arose via the association of lifetime monogamous parents and offspring. This is consistent with Hamilton's rule (br s . r o c), but implies that relatedness cancels out of the equation because average relatedness to siblings (r s ) and offspring (r o ) are both predictably 0.5. This equality implies that any infinitesimally small benefit of helping at the maternal nest (b), relative to the cost in personal reproduction (c) that persists throughout the lifespan of entire cohorts of helpers suffices to establish permanent eusociality, so that group benefits can increase gradually during, but mostly after the transition. The monogamy window can be conceptualized as a singularity comparable with the single zygote commitment of gametes in eukaryotes. The increase of colony size in ants, bees, wasps and termites is thus analogous to the evolution of multicellularity. Focusing on lifetime monogamy as a universal precondition for the evolution of obligate eusociality simplifies the theory and may help to resolve controversies about levels of selection and targets of adaptation. The monogamy window underlines that cooperative breeding and eusociality are different domains of social evolution, characterized by different sectors of parameter space for Hamilton's rule.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifetime monogamy and the evolution of eusociality

Boomsma

2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

333

378

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is widely accepted that the first grouping in nature happened when multicellular organisms arose from a single cell and generated a multi-celled organism [30]. At the very beginning of life there were only single cells.…”

Section: A New Approach For Groupingmentioning

confidence: 99%

From nature to maths: Improving forecasting performance in subspace-based methods using genetics Colonial Theory

Hassani

Ghodsi

Silva

et al. 2016

Digital Signal Processing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many scientific fields consider accurate and reliable forecasting methods as important decision-making tools in the modern age amidst increasing volatility and uncertainty. As such there exists an opportune demand for theoretical developments which can result in more accurate forecasts. Inspired by Colonial Theory, this paper seeks to bring about considerable improvements to the field of time series analysis and forecasting by identifying certain core characteristics of Colonial Theory which are subsequently exploited in introducing a novel approach for the grouping step of subspace based methods. The proposed algorithm shows promising results in terms of improved performances in noise filtering and forecasting of time series. The reliability and validity of the proposed algorithm is evaluated and compared with popular forecasting models with the results being thoroughly evaluated for statistical significance and thereby adding more confidence and value to the findings of this research.

show abstract

“…We focus on the major transitions that lead to a new form of individual (Table 1), where the same problems arise, in a way that facilitates comparison, and so exclude the evolution of the genetic code, sex and language (1,2,4,5).…”

Section: Defining Major Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major evolutionary transitions in individuality

West

Fisher

Gardner

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

320

412

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The evolution of life on earth has been driven by a small number of major evolutionary transitions. These transitions have been characterized by individuals that could previously replicate independently, cooperating to form a new, more complex life form. For example, archaea and eubacteria formed eukaryotic cells, and cells formed multicellular organisms. However, not all cooperative groups are en route to major transitions. How can we explain why major evolutionary transitions have or haven't taken place on different branches of the tree of life? We break down major transitions into two steps: the formation of a cooperative group and the transformation of that group into an integrated entity. We show how these steps require cooperation, division of labor, communication, mutual dependence, and negligible within-group conflict. We find that certain ecological conditions and the ways in which groups form have played recurrent roles in driving multiple transitions. In contrast, we find that other factors have played relatively minor roles at many key points, such as within-group kin discrimination and mechanisms to actively repress competition. More generally, by identifying the small number of factors that have driven major transitions, we provide a simpler and more unified description of how life on earth has evolved.T he evolution of life, from simple organic compounds in a primordial soup to the amazing diversity of contemporary organisms, has taken roughly 3.5 billion years. How can we explain the evolution of increasingly complex organisms over this period? A traditional approach has been to consider the succession of taxonomic groups, such as the age of fishes giving rise to the age of amphibians, which gave way to the age of reptiles, and so on. Although this approach has some uses, it is biased toward relatively large plants and animals and lacks a conceptual or predictive framework, in that it suggests we look for different explanations for each succession (1).Twenty years ago, Maynard Smith and Szathmáry (2) revolutionized our understanding of life on earth by showing how the key steps in the evolution of life on earth had been driven by a small number of "major evolutionary transitions." In each transition, a group of individuals that could previously replicate independently cooperate to form a new, more complex life form. For example, genes cooperated to form genomes, archaea and eubacteria formed eukaryotic cells, and cells cooperated to form multicellular organisms (Table 1).The major transitions approach provides a conceptual framework that facilitates comparison across pivotal moments in the history of life (2, 3). It suggests that the same problem arises at each transition: How are the potentially selfish interests of individuals overcome to form mutually dependent cooperative groups? We can then ask whether there are any similarities across transitions in the answers to this problem. Consequently, rather than looking for different explanations for the succession of different taxonomic groups, we ...

show abstract

Evolution of individuality during the transition from unicellular to multicellular life

Cited by 272 publications

References 29 publications

Lifetime monogamy and the evolution of eusociality

Lifetime monogamy and the evolution of eusociality

From nature to maths: Improving forecasting performance in subspace-based methods using genetics Colonial Theory

Major evolutionary transitions in individuality

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About