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Experimental evolution of an alternating uni- and multicellular life cycle in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Author

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  • William C. Ratcliff

    (School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology
    Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
    The BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota)

  • Matthew D. Herron

    (The University of Montana)

  • Kathryn Howell

    (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota)

  • Jennifer T. Pentz

    (School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology
    Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota)

  • Frank Rosenzweig

    (The University of Montana)

  • Michael Travisano

    (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota
    The BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota)

Abstract

The transition to multicellularity enabled the evolution of large, complex organisms, but early steps in this transition remain poorly understood. Here we show that multicellular complexity, including development from a single cell, can evolve rapidly in a unicellular organism that has never had a multicellular ancestor. We subject the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to conditions that favour multicellularity, resulting in the evolution of a multicellular life cycle in which clusters reproduce via motile unicellular propagules. While a single-cell genetic bottleneck during ontogeny is widely regarded as an adaptation to limit among-cell conflict, its appearance very early in this transition suggests that it did not evolve for this purpose. Instead, we find that unicellular propagules are adaptive even in the absence of intercellular conflict, maximizing cluster-level fecundity. These results demonstrate that the unicellular bottleneck, a trait essential for evolving multicellular complexity, can arise rapidly via co-option of the ancestral unicellular form.

Suggested Citation

  • William C. Ratcliff & Matthew D. Herron & Kathryn Howell & Jennifer T. Pentz & Frank Rosenzweig & Michael Travisano, 2013. "Experimental evolution of an alternating uni- and multicellular life cycle in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:4:y:2013:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms3742
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3742
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    Cited by:

    1. Guilhem Doulcier & Peter Takacs & Katrin Hammerschmidt & Pierrick Bourrat, 2024. "Stability of ecologically scaffolded traits during evolutionary transitions in individuality," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Bouderbala, Ilhem & El Saadi, Nadjia & Bah, Alassane & Auger, Pierre, 2019. "A simulation study on how the resource competition and anti-predator cooperation impact the motile-phytoplankton groups’ formation under predation stress," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 391(C), pages 16-28.
    3. Yashraj Chavhan & Sutirth Dey & Peter A. Lind, 2023. "Bacteria evolve macroscopic multicellularity by the genetic assimilation of phenotypically plastic cell clustering," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    4. Yuanxiao Gao & Arne Traulsen & Yuriy Pichugin, 2019. "Interacting cells driving the evolution of multicellular life cycles," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(5), pages 1-16, May.

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