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Does resource availability help determine the evolutionary route to multicellularity?
Olivier Hamant1, Ramray Bhat2, Vidyanand Nanjundiah3
1Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon 1, CNRS, INRA, Lyon, France.
Evolution & Development
|March 27, 2019
Summary
Genetic homogeneity suits multicellular life, while heterogeneity persists in tumors and simpler organisms dependent on external resources. This suggests early multicellularity may have arisen from polyclonal development.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary developmental biology (eco-evo-devo)
- Population genetics
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Genetic heterogeneity and homogeneity confer distinct adaptive advantages and bottlenecks.
- Populations are typically genetically heterogeneous, whereas most multicellular metazoans are genetically homogeneous.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a link between resource availability and developmental strategies (monoclonal vs. polyclonal).
- To explore the evolutionary origins of multicellularity through an eco-evo-devo lens.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of genetic strategies in different biological systems.
- Ecological and evolutionary developmental biology framework.
Main Results:
- Resource scarcity promotes genetic heterogeneity in populations.
- Monoclonal development aligns with the stable, resource-rich internal environment of complex multicellular bodies.
- Polyclonal development is observed in tumors and certain metazoans with greater external resource dependence.
Conclusions:
- Complex multicellularity favors genetic homogeneity due to internal resource stability.
- Polyclonal development's persistence in tumors and simpler metazoans reflects their reliance on external resources.
- Early multicellularity likely originated from polyclonal development in less shielded ancestral metazoans.
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