Multicellularity

<b>Scholars consider the origins and consequences of the evolution of multicellularity addressing a range of organisms experimental protocols theoretical concepts and philosophical issues.</b> <p/>The evolution of multicellularity raises questions regarding genomic and developmental commonalities and discordances selective advantages and disadvantages physical determinants of development and the origins of morphological novelties. It also represents a change in the definition of individuality because a new organism emerges from interactions among single cells. This volume considers these and other questions with contributions that explore the origins and consequences of the evolution of multicellularity addressing a range of topics organisms and experimental protocols.<br>Each section focuses on selected topics or particular lineages that present a significant insight or challenge. The contributors consider the fossil record of the paleontological circumstances in which animal multicellularity evolved; cooptation recurrent patterns modularity and plausible pathways for multicellular evolution in plants; theoretical approaches to the amoebozoa and fungi (cellular slime molds having long provided a robust model system for exploring the evolution of multicellularity) plants and animals; genomic toolkits of metazoan multicellularity; and philosophical aspects of the meaning of individuality in light of multicellular evolution.<br><b>Contributors<br></b>Maja Adamska Argyris Arnellos Juan A. Arias Eugenio Azpeitia Mariana Benítez Adriano Bonforti John Tyler Bonner Peter L. Conlin A. Keith Dunker Salva Duran-Nebreda Ana E. Escalante Valeria Hernández-Hernández Kunihiko Kaneko Andrew H. Knoll Stephan G. König Daniel J. G. Lahr Ottoline Leyser Alan C. Love Raul Montañez Emilio Mora van Cauwelaert Alvaro Moreno Vidyanand Nanjundiah Aurora M. Nedelcu Stuart A. Newman Karl J. Niklas William C. Ratcliff Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo Ricard Solé