Exploiting new terrain: An advantage to sociality in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum

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dc.contributor.advisorStrassmann, Joan E.
dc.contributor.advisorQueller, David C.
dc.creatorKuzdzal, Jennie J.
dc.date.accessioned2009-06-04T08:47:39Z
dc.date.available2009-06-04T08:47:39Z
dc.date.issued2006
dc.description.abstractIdentifying benefits to cooperation is important in studying social evolution. When the social amoebae of Dictyostelium discoideum starve, they aggregate to form multicellular slugs that migrate towards the soil surface to form fruiting bodies. Multicellularity in D. discoideum is thought to help provide protection from predators and aid in the dispersal of reproductive spores. Here we show an additional benefit of local dispersal. Utilizing D. discoideum's phototactic behavior, we induced slug migration over bacteria and show that this passage results in the removal of bacteria. Time-lapse video revealed that slugs do not dissociate on contact with bacteria, rather cells sloughed from the migrating slugs consume the prey and reproduce. Using an aggregation mutant, we show that the cells slugs shed are able to reach and colonize food sources solitary amoebae cannot. We propose that the exploitation of local food patches is an important selective benefit favoring multicellularity in D. discoideum .
dc.format.extent15 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS ECOL. 2006 KUZDZAL
dc.identifier.citationKuzdzal, Jennie J.. "Exploiting new terrain: An advantage to sociality in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum." (2006) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/17890">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/17890</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/17890
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectMicrobiology
dc.titleExploiting new terrain: An advantage to sociality in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentEcology and Evolutionary Biology
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts
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