Open AccessThe possible modes of microbial reproduction are fundamentally restricted by distribution of mass between parent and offspring
Author(s) -
Yuriy Pichugin,
Arne Traulsen
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2122197119
Subject(s) - multicellular organism , organism , biology , asexual reproduction , reproduction , sexual reproduction , evolutionary biology , population , fragmentation (computing) , exponential growth , ecology , genetics , cell , mathematical analysis , demography , mathematics , sociology
Significance Cells and simple cell colonies reproduce by fragmenting their bodies into pieces. Produced newborns need to grow before they can reproduce again. How big a cell or a cell colony should grow? How many offspring should be produced? Should they be of equal size or diverse? We show that the simple fact that the immediate mass of offspring cannot exceed the mass of parents restricts possible answers to these questions. For example, our theory states that, when mass is conserved in the course of fragmentation, the evolutionarily optimal reproduction mode is fragmentation into exactly two, typically equal, parts. Our theory also shows conditions which promote evolution of asymmetric division or fragmentation into multiple pieces.