U.S. biologists say they’ve determined even the simplest of social creatures — single-celled amoebae — can discriminate in favor of their own family.
Rice University scientists say their study found amoebae have the ability to recognize their own family, providing further proof of the surprisingly sophisticated social behavior of microbes, which have been shown to exhibit levels of cooperation more typically associated with animals.
By recognizing kin, a social microbe can direct altruistic behavior towards its relatives, said postdoctoral researcher Natasha Mehdiabadi, the lead author of the study.
While scientists have repeatedly documented cases of kin recognition, the Rice study is among the first to document the more sophisticated trait of kin discrimination in a social microorganism.
The research is detailed in this week’s issue of the journal Nature.
