Agricultura primitiva en microorganismos

The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is well known for its social interactions. When prey bacteria become scarce, amoebae aggregate by the tens of thousands and produce a multicellular migratory slug that becomes a fruiting body in which about 20% of cells die to form a sterile stalk. The stalk aids the dispersal of the remaining cells, which differentiate into spores in a spherical structure called the sorus.  We show that about one-third of wild-collected clones husband bacteria through the sporulation and dispersal process. We call these clones farmers because they carry, seed and prudently harvest their food, but the farming is primitive because no active cultivation is known.

Leer mas