W. C. Ratcliff

Examining the role of oxygen-binding proteins on the early evolution of multicellularity

This study shows oxygen-binding proteins enhance fitness in larger organisms under high oxygen conditions by improving oxygen diffusion efficiency.

A non-adaptive explanation for macroevolutionary patterns in the evolution of complex multicellularity

The paper proposes a non-adaptive hypothesis explaining the evolution of complex multicellularity in eukaryotes by linking it to genetic drift and mutational biases.

Entanglement in living systems

This study shows that growth in living systems facilitates entanglement across a broad range of geometries, unlike non-living materials where entanglement is geometry-sensitive.

Proteostatic tuning underpins the evolution of novel multicellular traits

The paper shows that downregulation of Hsp90 drives cellular elongation and multicellular adaptation in the MuLTEE experiment, revealing a proteostatic mechanism for macroscopic multicellularity evolution.

Constitutive expression of the Type VI secretion system carries no measurable fitness cost in Vibrio cholerae

This study finds that constitutive expression of the Type VI Secretion System in Vibrio cholerae has a negligible fitness cost, with minimal impact on growth.

Division of labor promotes the entrenchment of multicellularity

This study shows that division of labor in digital multicells stabilizes multicellularity by increasing fitness compared to unicellular revertants.

Emergence and maintenance of stable coexistence during a long-term multicellular evolution experiment

This study shows how multicellularity evolves through niche partitioning and adaptive divergence in snowflake yeast, leading to stable coexistence via a trade-off between size and competitiveness for oxygen.

Using light for energy: examining the evolution of phototrophic metabolism via synthetic construction

This study shows that Saccharomyces cerevisiae can become a facultative phototroph by acquiring a rhodopsin gene from Ustilago maydis, gaining a growth advantage under green light.

Trade-offs constrain adaptive pathways to T6 survival

This study uses experimental evolution to show that Escherichia coli evolves resistance to Vibrio cholerae's Type VI Secretion System (T6) through specific mutations, but these mutations come with fitness costs.

Evolutionary consequences of nascent multicellular life cycles

This study evolves yeast populations to test if clonal development facilitates multicellular adaptation, finding that clonal yeast shifted fitness to group-level benefits while floc yeast retained cell-level selection.

De novo evolution of macroscopic multicellularity

This study shows how snowflake yeast evolved macroscopic multicellularity under anaerobic conditions through biophysical adaptations, while remaining microscopic under low oxygen conditions.

Cellular organization in lab-evolved and extant multicellular species obeys a maximum entropy law

The paper quantifies cell packing in two multicellular organisms and finds that free space around cells follows a gamma distribution, suggesting an entropic principle underlying multicellular organization.

Spontaneous emergence of multicellular heritability

This study shows that multicellular heritability can emerge without additional genetic regulation, and that organism size at reproduction is more heritable than its cell-level basis.

Topological constraints in early multicellularity favor reproductive division of labor

This study shows reproductive specialization evolves in sparse cellular networks despite saturating returns, highlighting the role of restricted interactions in early multicellularity.

Ecological advantages and evolutionary limitations of aggregative multicellular development

This study compares clonal and aggregative multicellular development in yeast, finding aggregation provides ecological advantages but is exploited by clonal cells in competition.

De novo origin of multicellularity in response to predation

This study shows that predation can drive the evolution of multicellularity in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, with two populations developing multicellular structures that enhance survival against the predator Paramecium tetraurelia.

Horizontal Gene Transfer of Functional Type VI Killing Genes by Natural Transformation

The paper demonstrates that Vibrio cholerae can acquire and utilize new Type VI secretion system effector genes via horizontal gene transfer to outcompete its parent and neighbors.

Division of labor, bet hedging, and the evolution of mixed biofilm investment strategies

This paper investigates why bacterial lineages invest in both fast-growing planktonic and slow-growing biofilm cells, finding that mixed investment is advantageous for environmental resilience.

An oscillating tragedy of the commons in replicatordynamics with game-environment feedback

The paper generalizes evolutionary game theory to show oscillatory tragedy of the commons dynamics where environmental states and strategies coevolve, finding cooperation is necessary to avoid system collapse.

Trait Heritability in Major Transitions

The paper examines how collective-level heritability relates to particle-level heritability in major transitions, showing that collective heritability can often exceed particle heritability.