RAZD
Member (Idle past 1434 days) Posts: 20714 From: the other end of the sidewalk Joined: 03-14-2004
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Message 1 of 2 (717538)
01-28-2014 5:19 PM
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/...ases/2014/01/140125172414.htm
quote: From one cell to many: How did multicellularity evolve? Date: January 25, 2014 Source: American Journal of Botany Summary: In the beginning there were single cells. Today, many millions of years later, most plants, animals, fungi, and algae are composed of multiple cells that work collaboratively as a single being. Despite the various ways these organisms achieved multicellularity, their conglomeration of cells operate cooperatively to consume energy, survive, and reproduce. But how did multicellularity evolve?
Representative diverse origins of multicellularity are shown on a highly redacted and unrooted phylogenetic diagram of the major eukaryotic clades (modified from a variety of sources). Although some lineages or clades are entirely unicellular or multicellular (e.g., lobose amoeba and the land plants, respectively), most contain a mixture of body plans such as the unicellular and colonial body plans (e.g., choanoflagellates) or a mixture of the unicellular, colonial, and multicellular body plans (e.g., ciliates and stramenopiles). In general, early-divergent persistent (EDP) lineages are dominated by unicellular species (e.g., prasinophytes in the chlorobiontic clade), whereas later-divergent lineages contain a mixture of body plans (e.g., chlorophycean and charophycean algae). Species-rich, late-divergent persistent (LDP) lineages tend to be exclusively multicellular (e.g., the land plants and metazoans). Karl Niklas (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY), a plant evolutionary biologist, is interested in how plants have changed over the past few million years, in particular their size, shape, structure, and reproduction. As the first article in a series of Centennial Review papers celebrating 100 years of the American Journal of Botany, Niklas reviews the history of multicellularity and the changes that cells must have had to go through -- such as aspects of their shape, function, structure, and development -- in order to be able to functionally combine with other cells. He also explores the underlying driving forces and constraints (from natural selection to genetics and physical laws) that influence the evolution of multicellularity.
Certainly a question to be answered. Interesting.
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