%AJack, Chandra [Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America]%AButtery, Neil [Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, United States of America]%AAdu-Oppong, Boahemaa [Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, United States of America]%APowers, Michael [Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, United States of America]%AThompson, Christopher [Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom]%AQueller, David [Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, United States of America]%AStrassmann, Joan [Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, United States of America]%BJournal Name: PeerJ; Journal Volume: 3; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2019-08-31 17:08:12 %D2015%IPeerJ %JJournal Name: PeerJ; Journal Volume: 3; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2019-08-31 17:08:12 %K %MOSTI ID: 10015605 %PMedium: X %TMigration in the social stage of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae impacts competition %X

Interaction conditions can change the balance of cooperation and conflict in multicellular groups. After aggregating together, cells of the social amoebaDictyostelium discoideummay migrate as a group (known as a slug) to a new location. We consider this migration stage as an arena for social competition and conflict because the cells in the slug may not be from a genetically homogeneous population. In this study, we examined the interplay of two seemingly diametric actions, the solitary action of kin recognition and the collective action of slug migration inD. discoideum, to more fully understand the effects of social competition on fitness over the entire lifecycle. We compare slugs composed of either genetically homogenous or heterogeneous cells that have migrated or remained stationary in the social stage of the social amoebaDictyostelium discoideum. After migration of chimeric slugs, we found that facultative cheating is reduced, where facultative cheating is defined as greater contribution to spore relative to stalk than found for that clone in the clonal state. In addition our results support previous findings that competitive interactions in chimeras diminish slug migration distance. Furthermore, fruiting bodies have shorter stalks after migration, even accounting for cell numbers at that time. Taken together, these results show that migration can alleviate the conflict of interests in heterogeneous slugs. It aligns their interest in finding a more advantageous place for dispersal, where shorter stalks suffice, which leads to a decrease in cheating behavior.

%0Journal Article