J. E. Strassmann

Testing the coordination hypothesis: incompatibilities in the absence of a single-cell bottleneck in an experimentally evolved social amoeba.

The paper tests the coordination hypothesis in Dictyostelium discoideum by mixing evolved clones and measuring developmental traits, finding no evidence of incompatibilities in slug movement but support for incompatibilities between migration and spore production.

Predation-resistant Pseudomonas bacteria engage in symbiont-like behavior with the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

The paper investigates predation-resistant Pseudomonas strains and their interactions with Dictyostelium discoideum, finding that some cause extracellular infections and suppress predation of other bacteria.

Resource-combining costs of being a diet generalist in the super-generalist protist predator Dictyostelium discoideum

This study investigates resource-switching and resource-mixing costs in the protist predator Dictyostelium discoideum, showing growth rate reductions when switching or mixing bacterial prey.

Unpredictable soil conditions affect the prevalence of a microbial symbiosis

The study examines how unpredictable soil conditions influence the prevalence of microbial symbiosis in Dictyostelium discoideum, finding that precipitation unpredictability affects Paraburkholderia symbionts differently.

Symbiotic bacteria, immune-like sentinel cells, and the response to pathogens in a social amoeba

This study examines how Paraburkholderia endosymbionts affect sentinel cell function in D. discoideum, revealing both immune suppression and toxin protection effects.

Limits to the spread of an obligate social cheater in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

The paper identifies three costs limiting obligate social cheaters in Dictyostelium discoideum: inability to form fruiting bodies, negative frequency-dependent cheating, and shorter stalks in chimeras.

Complex third-party effects in the Dictyostelium-Paraburkholderia symbiosis: prey bacteria that are eaten, carried, or left behind

The paper investigates how Dictyostelium hosts interact with prey bacteria in the presence of Paraburkholderia symbionts, finding that hosts leave behind both symbionts and prey bacteria, but uneaten prey bacteria do not fully explain reduced spore production.

Loss of altruism in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is associated with the G protein-coupled receptor grlG

The paper identifies genomic changes in Dictyostelium discoideum that correlate with the loss of cooperation and altruism, highlighting the role of the grlG gene.

Comparative genomics support reduced-genome Paraburkholderia symbionts of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebas are ancestrally adapted professional symbionts

The paper compares genomes of Paraburkholderia symbionts of Dictyostelium discoideum to identify adaptations supporting their role as professional symbionts.

Context-dependence in the symbiosis between Dictyostelium discoideum and Paraburkholderia

This study shows how food context affects the Dictyostelium-Paraburkholderia symbiosis, with benefits for both partners in harsh environments.

Novel Chlamydiae and Amoebophilus endosymbionts are prevalent in wild isolates of the model social amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum

The paper screens wild isolates of Dictyostelium discoideum for bacterial endosymbionts, finding Chlamydiae and Amoebophilus in 42% and 8% of isolates, respectively, with no significant fitness impact.

A complex symbiosis involving within species variation in the response of Dictyostelium amoebae to Burkholderia bacteria

The paper examines variation in Dictyostelium discoideum's response to Burkholderia symbionts, finding that natural hosts tolerate their symbionts better than others.

Endosymbiotic adaptations in three new bacterial species associated with Dictyostelium discoideum: Burkholderia agricolaris sp. nov., Burkholderia hayleyella sp. nov., and Burkholderia bonniea sp. nov.

The paper describes three new Burkholderia species that can persist within Dictyostelium discoideum spores, distinguished by their unique traits and symbiotic capabilities.