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Multicellularity in animals: The potential for within-organism conflict
Jack Howe1,2, Jochen C Rink3, Bo Wang4,5
1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SZ, United Kingdom.
Summary
Multicellular life, or metazoans, can experience internal conflict. Evolutionary and developmental biology must integrate to understand how cooperation evolves and breaks down in diverse organisms.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Metazoan Life
- Cellular Cooperation
Background:
- Metazoans function as both individual organisms and colonies of cooperating cells.
- Understanding cellular cooperation and conflict is key to explaining multicellularity.
- Existing models focus on clonal bottlenecks and germ-soma separation to limit conflict.
Purpose of the Study:
- To challenge the notion of conflict-free multicellularity in organisms lacking typical cooperative mechanisms.
- To advocate for integrating evolutionary and developmental biology approaches.
- To provide a conceptual framework for developmental biologists on evolutionary principles.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual review integrating evolutionary biology and developmental biology.
- Analysis of developmental mechanisms promoting cooperation and limiting conflict.
- Use of social insects as analogous examples for metazoan multicellularity.
Main Results:
- Many obligately multicellular organisms thrive without clonal bottlenecks or germ-soma separation.
- This suggests within-organism conflict is more prevalent than previously assumed.
- Developmental strategies like totipotency and cell competition play roles in managing conflict.
Conclusions:
- Refined understanding of multicellularity requires acknowledging potential within-organism conflict.
- Evolutionary theory must incorporate diverse developmental mechanisms.
- Developmental biology must integrate evolutionary principles for a comprehensive view of metazoan life.
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