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A polychromatic ‘greenbeard’ locus determines patterns of cooperation in a social amoeba

Author

Listed:
  • Nicole Gruenheit

    (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester)

  • Katie Parkinson

    (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester)

  • Balint Stewart

    (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester)

  • Jennifer A. Howie

    (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester)

  • Jason B. Wolf

    (University of Bath)

  • Christopher R. L. Thompson

    (Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester)

Abstract

Cheaters disrupt cooperation by reaping the benefits without paying their fair share of associated costs. Cheater impact can be diminished if cooperators display a tag (‘greenbeard’) and recognise and preferentially direct cooperation towards other tag carriers. Despite its popular appeal, the feasibility of such greenbeards has been questioned because the complex patterns of partner-specific cooperative behaviours seen in nature require greenbeards to come in different colours. Here we show that a locus (‘Tgr’) of a social amoeba represents a polychromatic greenbeard. Patterns of natural Tgr locus sequence polymorphisms predict partner-specific patterns of cooperation by underlying variation in partner-specific protein–protein binding strength and recognition specificity. Finally, Tgr locus polymorphisms increase fitness because they help avoid potential costs of cooperating with incompatible partners. These results suggest that a polychromatic greenbeard can provide a key mechanism for the evolutionary maintenance of cooperation.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicole Gruenheit & Katie Parkinson & Balint Stewart & Jennifer A. Howie & Jason B. Wolf & Christopher R. L. Thompson, 2017. "A polychromatic ‘greenbeard’ locus determines patterns of cooperation in a social amoeba," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14171
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14171
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    Cited by:

    1. Mariko Katoh-Kurasawa & Peter Lehmann & Gad Shaulsky, 2024. "The greenbeard gene tgrB1 regulates altruism and cheating in Dictyostelium discoideum," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

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