The Social Amoebae

Noted biologist and author John Tyler Bonner has experimented with cellular slime molds for more than sixty years, and he has done more than anyone else to raise these peculiar collections of amoebae from a minor biological curiosity to a major model organism--one that is widely studied for clues to the development and evolution of all living things. Now, five decades after he published his first pioneering book on cellular slime molds, Bonner steps back from the proliferating and increasingly specialized knowledge about the organism to provide a broad, nontechnical picture of its whole biology, including its evolution, sociobiology, ecology, behavior, and development. The Social Amoebae draws the big lessons from decades of research, and shows how slime molds fit into and illuminate biology as a whole. Slime molds are very different from other organisms; they feed as individual amoebae before coming together to form a multicellular organism that has a remarkable ability to move and orient itself in its environment. Furthermore, these social amoebae display a sophisticated division of labor; within each organism, some cells form the stalk and others become the spores that will seed the next generation. In The Social Amoebae, Bonner examines all these parts together, giving a balanced, concise, and clear overview of slime mold biology, from molecules to cells to multicells, as he advances some unconventional and unexpected insights.

Advances in Botanical Research publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences. Features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology. This thematic volume features reviews on Mitochondrial genome evolution. Publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences Features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology This thematic volume features reviews on mitochondrial genome evolution

Dictyostelia are soil amoebae capable of extraordinary feats of survival, motility, chemotaxis, and development. Characterised by their ability to transform from a single-celled organism into an elaborate assemblage of thousands of synchronously-moving cells, Dictyostelids are often referred to as 'social amoebae', and have been the subjects of serious study since the 1930s. Research in this area has been instrumental in understanding many problems in cellular biology. Beginning with the history of Dictyostelids and discussing each stage of their development, this book considers the evolution of this unique organism, analyses the special properties of the Dictyostelid genome, and presents in detail the methods available, at the time of the book's original publication in 2001, to manipulate their genes. Representing the synthesis of such material and with an emphasis on combining classical experiments with modern molecular findings, this book will be essential for researchers and graduates in developmental and cellular biology.

The Biology of Amoeba discusses the general biology, morphology, movement and related phenomena, and biochemical and physiological studies of amoeba. This book is organized into five parts, encompassing 21 chapters that primarily focus on large free-living amoeba. After briefly discussing the highlights of studies involving amoeba, the book goes on describing the biological aspects of amoeba, including its taxonomy, phylogeny, culture, and maintaining methods. The second part describes the general morphology, ultrastructure, and cellular membrane of amoeba. The third part includes discussions on the movement of Chaos-Amoeba group; the amoeboid behavioral and motile responses; the molecular mechanism of amoeboid movement and cytoplasmic streaming; and the mechanism of endocytosis in the freshwater amoeba. Part 4 covers the effects of various groups of mutagens, antibiotics, radiation, and high pressure on phenotype change and cell activities of amoeba. The concluding part deals with the isolation and purification of amoeba's nucleic acids, as well as physical and chemical characterizations of these compounds. This part also describes the characteristics of structural features of amoeba's cell surface and the chemistry of tripartite surface. Discussions on cell cycle, nucleocytoplasmic interactions, nuclear-nuclear interactions, genetics, and strain specificity in amoeba are also covered. The book is intended as a comprehensive literature source for students in cell biology as well as for those who are using amoeba as research organisms.

This book provides new insights into the universality of biological systems in animal reproduction and development by a comparative study of a variety of mechanisms in animals ranging from basal invertebrates to vertebrates, including mammals. Animals accomplish genetic diversity through meiosis and fertilization, and during embryogenesis animals must produce specialized cell types, including germ cells, in accordance with their individual body plan. This series of phenomena is essential to the continuity of life in the animal kingdom, and animals show various reproductive and developmental strategies. This volume, comprising four parts, reviews animal kingdom diversity, including reproductive strategies and germ cell differentiation mechanisms (Part 1), sex determination and differentiation (Part2), the mechanisms of fertilization (Part 3), and body axis formation (Part 4). Readers will find descriptions of the reproduction or development of 180 species, 13 phyla, 35 classes, 74 orders, 117 families, and 151 genera in this book. Of particular interest is the diversity of molecules and mechanisms used to achieve the same biological purpose in different animals. Undergraduates, graduate students, and professional scientists who want a deeper understanding of animal reproductive and developmental mechanisms will find this book to be of great value.

Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.

Dictyostelium discoideum is a simple but fascinating eukaryotic microorg- ism, whose natural habitat is deciduous forest soil and decaying leaves, where the amoebae feed on bacteria and grow as independent single cells. Exhaustion of the bacterial food source triggers a developmental program, in which up to 100,000 cells aggregate by chemotaxis towards cAMP. Morphogenesis and cell different- tion then culminate in the production of spores enabling the organism to survive unfavorable conditions. Dictyostelium offers unique advantages for studying f- damental cellular processes with the aid of powerful molecular genetic, bioche- cal, and cell biological tools. These processes include signal transduction, chemotaxis, cell motility, cytokinesis, phagocytosis, and aspects of development such as cell sorting, pattern formation and cell type differentiation. Recently, D- tyostelium was also described as a suitable host for pathogenic bacteria in which one can conveniently study the process of infection. In addition, Dictyostelium has many of the experimental conveniences of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is pr- ably the best experimentally manipulatable protozoan, providing insight into this diverse group of organisms, which includes some of the most dangerous human parasites. The recent completion of the Dictyostelium genome sequencing project strengthens the position of D. discoideum as a model organism. The completed genome sequence and other valuable community resources constitute the source for basic biological and biomedical research and for genome-wide analyses.

This richly illustrated book explores the fascinating and ubiquitous occurrence of spirals and vortices in human culture and in nature. Spiral forms have been used as elements in the arts for thousands of years, whereas their role in nature and science – from DNA and sea shells to galaxies – is still a topic of investigation in numerous fields. Following an introduction to the cultural history of spiral forms, the book presents contributions from leading experts, who describe the origins, mechanisms and dynamics of spirals and vortices in their special fields. As a whole the book provides a valuable source of information, while also taking the reader on an aesthetic and scientific journey through the world of spiral forms.