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Comment
. 2020 Nov 3:9:e63328.
doi: 10.7554/eLife.63328.

How geometry shapes division of labor

Merlijn Staps  1 , Corina Tarnita  1
Affiliations
Comment

How geometry shapes division of labor

Merlijn Staps et al. Elife. .

Abstract

A mathematical model shows how the shape of early multicellular organisms may have helped cells evolve specialized roles.

Keywords: evolution; evolutionary biology; none; reproductive specialization; topology.

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Conflict of interest statement

MS, CT No competing interests declared

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. How geometry influences cell differentiation.
Many multicellular organisms have evolved germ-soma differentiation — a division of labor between germ cells, specialized for reproduction, and somatic cells, which help the organism survive. Yanni et al. show that multicellular organisms with a sparse cellular geometry, such as the structure shown here, are more likely to evolve germ-soma differentiation. In such organisms, germ cells (purple) can alternate positions with somatic cells (blue), so the survival investments made by somatic cells exclusively benefit germ cells (gray arrows).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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