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Published on: October 27, 2013
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Interspecies and intraspecies interactions in social amoebae
S Sathe1, N Khetan, V Nanjundiah
1Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India; Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|December 18, 2013
Summary
Cellular slime molds show how different genotypes coexist and divide labor. Interspecies mixes sort completely, while intraspecies mixes form chimeric fruiting bodies with skewed reproduction.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Social behavior in microorganisms
- Genetics
Background:
- Stable coexistence of diverse genotypes and reproductive division of labor are key evolutionary questions.
- Cellular slime molds (Dictyostelium) provide a tractable model for studying these phenomena due to their social behavior and genetic diversity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of coexistence and reproductive strategies in genetically heterogeneous groups of cellular slime molds.
- To analyze the genetic mixing and segregation patterns in both intraspecies and interspecies interactions.
Main Methods:
- Creating controlled 1:1 mixes of wild isolates of Dictyostelium giganteum and Dictyostelium purpureum.
- Observing the formation of chimaeric aggregates and subsequent segregation of cell types.
- Analyzing the composition of resulting fruiting bodies to determine reproductive skew and species sorting.
Main Results:
- Intraspecies aggregates formed chimaeric fruiting bodies with skewed spore production, correlating with reproductive skew.
- Interspecies aggregates demonstrated near-complete segregation, with fruiting bodies predominantly containing spores from a single species.
- Somatic compatibility showed a weak correlation with sexual compatibility, decreasing with genetic distance between strains.
Conclusions:
- Mechanisms of coexistence in cellular slime molds involve trade-offs in fitness-related traits (compatible strains), sorting (incompatible strains), and avoidance (different species).
- Genetic interactions and compatibility play crucial roles in shaping social structures and reproductive outcomes in these organisms.
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