Cooperation and Conflict in the Evolution of Individuality

多细胞生物体的进化是将较低水平的功能和选择整合为一个单一的、较高水平的个体或适应单位的最好例子。解释从单细胞生物到多细胞生物的转变是进化论的一个重大挑战。我们通过对细胞群中细胞之间的合作和冲突的理解来探讨多细胞的起源。应对突变是进化过渡过程中的一个关键因素，因为突变扩大了进化单位内部和进化单位之间的选择范围，导致了选择水平之间的冲突。我们将从应对突变的角度来研究多细胞生物体中使用的基本繁殖模式的进化。生殖生物学组织突变变异的方式是产生新的进化单位的根本问题。这项资助的总体目标是理解复杂进化单位的出现.生物世界的组织是分等级的--较低级别的单位组合在一起，并相互协作，形成较高级别的组织单元(基因、染色体、类细菌细胞、类真核细胞(细胞中的细胞)、多细胞生物体和社会)。虽然就合作在生活多样化中发挥的基本作用达成一致可能很容易，但相互作用仍然很难理解。合作传统上从两个不同的角度进行--物种内和物种之间。拟议的工作旨在弥合这些不同的传统。

The evolution of multicellular organisms is the premier example of the integration of lower levels of function and selection into a single, higher-level individual or unit of fitness. Explaining the transition from single cells to multicellular organisms is a major challenge for evolutionary theory. We approach the origin of multicellularity through the understanding of cooperation and conflict among cells in cell groups. Coping with mutation is a critical factor during evolutionary transitions, since mutation enhances the scope for selection both within and between evolutionary units leading to conflict between levels of selection. We will study the evolution of the basic reproductive modes used in multicellular organisms from the point of view of coping with mutation. The way in which mutational variation is organized by the reproductive biology is a fundamental problem for the emergence of new evolutionary units. The general objective of this grant it is to understand the emergence of complex evolutionary units. The organization of the living world is hierarchical-lower level units group together and cooperate to form higher level units of organization (genes, chromosomes, bacteria-like cells, eukaryotic-like cells (cells in cells), multicellular organisms and societies). While it may be easy to agree on the basic role played by cooperation in the diversification of life, it remains a difficult interaction to understand. Cooperation has traditionally been approached from two different perspectives-within species and between species. The proposed work aims to bridge these different traditions.