On the evolution of bacterial multicellularity

Highlights • Many bacteria have multicellular lifecycle phases, falling into three broad categories. • Predation, nutrient scarcity, and environmental variability may have led to multicellularity. • Despite many shared features, current evidence suggests each instance evolved independently. • Rapid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current opinion in microbiology 2015-04, Vol.24, p.21-28
Main Authors: Lyons, Nicholas A, Kolter, Roberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria - cytology
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - growth & development
Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
Biological Evolution
Pathology
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Summary:Highlights • Many bacteria have multicellular lifecycle phases, falling into three broad categories. • Predation, nutrient scarcity, and environmental variability may have led to multicellularity. • Despite many shared features, current evidence suggests each instance evolved independently. • Rapid and repeated evolution of multicellularity suggests it could be common in the universe.
ISSN:1369-5274
1879-0364
DOI:10.1016/j.mib.2014.12.007