High relatedness maintains multicellular cooperation in a social amoeba by controlling cheater mutants.
The control of cheating is important for understanding major transitions in evolution, from the simplest genes to the most complex societies. Cooperative systems can be ruined if cheaters that lower group productivity are able to spread. Kin-selection theory predicts that high genetic relatedness can limit cheating, because separation of cheaters and cooperators limits opportunities to cheat and promotes selection against low-fitness groups of cheaters. Here, we confirm this prediction for the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum; relatedness in natural wild groups is so high that socially destructive cheaters should not spread. We illustrate in the laboratory how high relatedness can control a mutant that would destroy cooperation at low relatedness. Finally, we demonstrate that, as predicted, mutant cheaters do not normally harm cooperation in a natural population. Our findings show how altruism is preserved from the disruptive effects of such mutant cheaters and how exceptionally high relatedness among cells is important in promoting the cooperation that underlies multicellular development.
Gilbert
Owen M
OM
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, MS 170, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005, USA. og@rice.edu
Foster
Kevin R
KR
Mehdiabadi
Natasha J
NJ
Strassmann
Joan E
JE
Queller
David C
DC
D000818:Animals; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D044783:F-Box Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050506:Mutant Chimeric Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D044783:F-Box Proteins; C412452:FbxA protein, Dictyostelium; D050506:Mutant Chimeric Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins