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SUMMARY:Algal Phototaxis and the Evolution of Multicellularity - Ray Golds
 tein\, DAMTP
DTSTART:20230120T160000Z
DTEND:20230120T170000Z
UID:TALK195019@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Prof. Jerome Neufeld
DESCRIPTION:A fundamental issue in biology is the nature of evolutionary t
 ransitions from unicellular to multicellular organisms. Volvocine algae ar
 e \nmodels for this transition\, as they span from the unicellular biflage
 llate _Chlamydomonas_ to multicellular species of _Volvox_ with up to 50\,
 000 \n_Chlamydomonas_-like cells on the surface of a spherical extracellul
 ar matrix. The mechanism of phototaxis in these species is of particular \
 ninterest since they lack a nervous system and intercellular connections\;
  steering is a consequence of the response of individual cells to light.\n
 In this talk I will describe experimental and theoretical work on the mech
 anism of phototaxis in three members of the Volvocine algae\, \nspanning 3
  orders of magnitude in cell number.  We find that there is an evolutionar
 ily conserved dynamics\, with a tuning between the time scales for an adap
 tive flagellar response to changing light levels illuminating the photorec
 eptors and the spinning \nfrequencies of the microorganisms.   
LOCATION:MR2\, Centre for Mathematical Sciences\, Wilberforce Road\, Cambr
 idge
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