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Related Experiment Videos

Building a multicellular organism.

D Kaiser1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA. luttman@cmgm.stanford.edu

Annual Review of Genetics
|November 9, 2001
PubMed
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Multicellularity evolved independently multiple times across life, suggesting significant advantages. Key benefits include improved feeding and dispersal, often accompanied by cell signaling and differentiation.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Origins of life

Background:

  • Multicellular organisms have evolved independently numerous times throughout Earth's history.
  • Early life forms, such as cyanobacteria, exhibited multicellularity.
  • Independent evolution of multicellularity spans across all eukaryotic kingdoms and multiple phyla.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the selective advantages driving the frequent evolution of multicellularity.
  • To identify common forces that promote the transition from unicellular to multicellular life.
  • To understand the relationship between multicellularity, cell differentiation, and cell signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of multicellular organisms and their unicellular ancestors.
  • Review of independent instances of multicellularity across different taxa.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of the properties and evolutionary trajectories of early multicellular forms.

    • Main Results:

    • Multicellularity arose independently multiple times, indicating a substantial selective advantage.
    • Enhanced feeding capabilities and improved dispersal strategies are common benefits.
    • The evolution of multicellularity is frequently associated with the development of intercellular signaling and cell differentiation.

    Conclusions:

    • The repeated, independent evolution of multicellularity underscores its significant adaptive value.
    • Key evolutionary drivers for multicellularity include advantages in resource acquisition (feeding) and propagation (dispersion).
    • Cellular communication and specialization are integral components accompanying the transition to multicellular life.