Synchronized emergence under diatom sperm competition.

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Microbiology
• Cell biology

Background:

• Mating timing is critical for reproductive success, but factors influencing it in unicellular organisms are poorly understood.
• Unicellular eukaryotes exhibit facultative sexuality, with mating induced after clonal reproduction, leading to potential competition among clonemate-derived males.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether male diatoms (spermatogonia) compete or cooperate.
• To analyze the variation in mating timing using evolutionary game theory hypotheses.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of differentiation timing in a centric diatom species.
• Application of evolutionary game theory models to understand cell interactions.
• Modeling cell-cell interactions and their impact on decision-making.

Main Results:

• Mating timing variation is primarily explained by optimization through selfish individual interactions, rather than cooperation.
• Competition is intensified by excessive synchronization, achieved by adjusting meiotic duration.
• Cells that divided mitotically earlier took longer to enter meiosis, while later-dividing cells entered meiosis faster.

Conclusions:

• Cell-cell interactions can create discrepancies between optimal and actual cellular decisions.
• The study provides insights into the evolution of cellular decision-making and its constraints in unicellular organisms.