The Protistan Cellular and Genomic Roots of Animal Multicellularity

Mendoza, Alex de; Sebé-Pedrós, Arnau

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-18202-1_2

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…As indicated in Figure 2, metazoans probably evolved from a common, single-celled ancestor more than 650 million year ago (mya) [7]. The first cells with a vague resemblance to neurons, in the form of a capacity to signal neighboring cells, presumably appeared soon after, as we find them in all metazoan phyla [1,8,9].…”

Section: History Of Nervous Systemsmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…A network of communicating epithelial cells may have been the forerunner of nerve nets, which again developed into ganglion-based NS. Comb jellies (Ctenophora) departed from the other main phyla of multicellular animals at about the same time as sponges [7]. Comb jellies have NS, but their neurons employ partly non-homologous genes and operate in distinct fashion compared to other animals, for example regarding the use of neurotransmitters [10].…”

Section: They Do Not Have Ns But Epithelial Cells Can Transmit Signal...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consciousness: A Strategy for Behavioral Decisions

Grinde¹

2022

Preprint

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Definition: Most multicellular animals have a nervous system that is based on the following three components: 1) Sensory cells gather information and send it to processing units; 2) the processing units use the information to decide on what action to take; and 3) effector neurons activate the appropriate muscles. Due to the importance of making the right decisions, evolution made profound advances in the processing units. I shall review present knowledge regarding the evolution of neurological tools for making decisions, here referred to as strategies or algorithms. Consciousness can be understood as a particularly sophisticated strategy. It may have evolved to allow for the use of feelings as a ‘common currency’ to evaluate behavioral options. The advanced cognitive capacity of species such as humans further improved the usefulness of consciousness, yet in biological terms it does not seem to be an optimal, fitness-enhancing strategy. A model for the gradual evolution of consciousness is presented. There is a somewhat arbitrary cutoff as to which animals have consciousness but based on current information it seems reasonable to restrict the term to amniotes.

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Section: History Of Nervous Systemsmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: They Do Not Have Ns But Epithelial Cells Can Transmit Signal...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Consciousness: A Strategy for Behavioral Decisions

Grinde¹

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As indicated in Figure 2, metazoans probably evolved from a common, single-celled ancestor more than 650 million years ago (mya) [7]. The first cells with a vague resemblance to neurons, in the form of a capacity to signal neighboring cells, presumably appeared soon after, as we find them in all metazoan phyla [1,8,9].…”

Section: History Of Nervous Systemsmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…A network of communicating epithelial cells may have been the forerunner of nerve nets, which again developed into ganglion-based NS. Comb jellies (Ctenophora) departed from the other main phyla of multicellular animals at about the same time as sponges [7]. Comb jellies have NS, but their neurons employ partly non-homologous genes and operate in a distinct fashion compared to other animals, for example, regarding the use of neurotransmitters [10].…”

Section: History Of Nervous Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only a few bilaterian phyla moved on to brain-like structures, and it is likely that this, too happened through convergent evolution [15]. Centralized NS offer the obvious advantage of more advanced processing and coordinated response for the entire body, which explains why Comb jellies (Ctenophora) departed from the other main phyla of multicellular animals at about the same time as sponges [7]. Comb jellies have NS, but their neurons employ partly non-homologous genes and operate in a distinct fashion compared to other animals, for example, regarding the use of neurotransmitters [10].…”

Section: History Of Nervous Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Consciousness: A Strategy for Behavioral Decisions

Grinde

2023

Encyclopedia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Most multicellular animals have a nervous system that is based on the following three components: (1) sensory cells gather information and send it to processing units; (2) the processing units use the information to decide what action to take; and (3) effector neurons activate the appropriate muscles. Due to the importance of making the right decisions, evolution made profound advances in processing units. I review present knowledge regarding the evolution of neurological tools for making decisions, here referred to as strategies or algorithms. Consciousness can be understood as a particularly sophisticated strategy. It may have evolved to allow for the use of feelings as a ‘common currency’ to evaluate behavioral options. The advanced cognitive capacity of species such as humans further improved the usefulness of consciousness, yet in biological terms, it does not seem to be an optimal, fitness-enhancing strategy. A model for the gradual evolution of consciousness is presented. There is a somewhat arbitrary cutoff as to which animals have consciousness, but based on current information, it seems reasonable to restrict the term to amniotes.

show abstract

The Protistan Cellular and Genomic Roots of Animal Multicellularity

Cited by 2 publications

References 105 publications

Consciousness: A Strategy for Behavioral Decisions

Consciousness: A Strategy for Behavioral Decisions

Consciousness: A Strategy for Behavioral Decisions

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