Major questions about stem cell systems include what type (s) of stem cells are involved
(unipotent/totipotent/pluripotent/multipotent stem cells) and how the self-renewal and …

We hypothesize that aspects of animal multicellularity originated before the divergence of
metazoans from fungi and social amoebae. Polarized epithelial tissues are a defining …

Nearly all animals reproduce sexually through the production and fusion of sperm and egg
cells, yet little is known about the ancestry of animal sexual reproduction. Moreover, the …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), also known as lateral gene transfer, results in the rapid
acquisition of genes from another organism. HGT has long been known to be a driving force …

Abstract Phytoplankton on the Scotian Shelf (SS) are well studied using microscopy and flow
cytometry (FCM). These tools provide a picture of a diatom dominated spring bloom, and …

Microbial eukaryotes that feed on bacteria are critical links in aquatic food webs. We used
the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta, whose life history includes fast‐and slow …

Many heterotrophic microbial eukaryotes are size‐selective feeders. Some microorganisms
increase their size by forming multicellular colonies. We used choanoflagellates …

Microbial eukaryotes, critical links in aquatic food webs, are unicellular, but some, such as
choanoflagellates, form multicellular colonies. Are there consequences to predator …

Choanoflagellates are heterotrophic nanoflagellates: small, colorless protozoa that are
present in marine and freshwater environments as well as in hydrated soils. Because they …

This essay presents a hypothesis which contends that the development of organismic
complexity in the eukaryotes depended extensively on propagation via flagellated and …