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Flexible paths to multicellularity
- NEWS AND VIEWS
- 25 February 2026
Flexible paths to multicellularity
Close relatives of animals can become multicellular if distinct individuals join together or if dividing cells remain attached. A species has been found to use both mechanisms.
Jaruwatana Sodai Lotharukpong http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3475-09800 &
Susana M. Coelho http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9171-25501
Jaruwatana Sodai Lotharukpong
Jaruwatana Sodai Lotharukpong is in the Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Susana M. Coelho
Susana M. Coelho is in the Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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The evolution of multicellularity is often thought of as a one-step, discrete transition from a unicellular to a multicellular state. Such transitions to multicellularity are described as either being aggregative (whereby genetically distinct cells join together) or clonal (in which genetically identical cells remain attached after cell division). These two paths are commonly regarded as mutually exclusive, reflecting different selective pressures and evolutionary trajectories. Writing in Nature, Ros-Rocher et al.1 challenge this view by showing that Choanoeca flexa, a close relative of animals belonging to the choanoflagellate lineage, can become multi-cellular using both clonal and aggregative mechanisms, and can combine the two mechanisms in a single life cycle.
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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00292-7
References
Ros-Rocher, N. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10137-y (2026).
Knoll, A. H. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 39, 217–239 (2011).
Brunet, T. et al. Science 366, 326–334 (2019).
Brunet, T. & King, N. Dev. Cell 43, 124–140 (2017).
Coelho, S. M. & Cock, J. M. Annu. Rev. Genet. 54, 71–92 (2020).
Coelho, S. M. & Cock, J. M. in The Evolution of Multicellularity 301–324 (CRC, 2022).
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
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