Clonal-aggregative multicellularity tuned by salinity in a choanoflagellate

Download PDF

• Article

Open access

• Published: 25 February 2026

Clonal-aggregative multicellularity tuned by salinity in a choanoflagellate

• Núria Ros-Rocher

orcid.org/0000-0003-0897-01861 na1,

• Josean Reyes-Rivera

orcid.org/0000-0003-0445-79082 na1 nAff5,

• Uzuki Horo

orcid.org/0009-0001-1751-54871,

• Chantal Combredet1,
• Yeganeh Foroughijabbari1,
• Ben T. Larson2 nAff6,
• Maxwell C. Coyle

orcid.org/0009-0009-8874-46992 nAff7,

• Erik A. T. Houtepen3,
• Mark J. A. Vermeij3,4,
• Jacob L. Steenwyk

orcid.org/0000-0002-8436-595X2 &

• …
• Thibaut Brunet

orcid.org/0000-0002-1843-16131

Nature

(2026)Cite this article

9534 Accesses

75 Altmetric

Metrics

Subjects

• Cellular imaging
• Evolution
• Evolutionary developmental biology

Abstract

Multicellularity evolved independently multiple times in eukaryotes1,2,3,4. Two distinct mechanisms underpin multicellularity5: clonality (serial cell division without sister-cell separation) and aggregation (whereby independent cells assemble into a multicellular entity). Clonal and aggregative multicellularity are traditionally considered to be mutually exclusive1,6,7,8, with rare exceptions9, and evolutionary hypotheses have addressed why multicellularity might diverge towards one or the other extreme3,4. Both animals and their sister group, the choanoflagellates, are currently known to acquire multicellularity only clonally4,10,11. Here we show that the choanoflagellate Choanoeca flexa12 forms motile and contractile cell monolayers (sheets) through multiple mechanisms—C. flexa sheets can form purely clonally, purely aggregatively or through a combination of both processes. We characterize the life history of C. flexa in its natural environment—ephemeral splash pools on the island of Curaçao—and show that C. flexa undergoes reversible transitions between unicellularity and multicellularity during evaporation–refilling cycles. Different splash pools house genetically distinct strains of C. flexa and kin recognition constrains aggregation between them. We show that clonal-aggregative multicellularity is a versatile strategy for the robust establishment of multicellularity in this variable and fast-fluctuating environment. Our findings challenge former generalizations about choanoflagellates and expand the option space of choanozoan multicellularity.

Similar content being viewed by others

####
In-depth single-cell transcriptomic exploration of the regenerative dynamics in stony coral

Article
Open access
23 April 2025

Original source