2006-09-17 15:30:17 · 2 answers · asked by mysteryhack 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
That's an EXCELLENT question, and I'm only sorry to say that i don't have an answer for you. Given successful single celled organisms, I can't see any reason to develop multi-celled creatures. Looking at the hydra (one of the simplest multicelled creatures), for example, how did a single cell mutate in such a way as to form two different daughter cells with complimentary functions, such that they could then form a multicelled creature...? Or should they be regarded as colonies of diverse unicellular creatures...? Did primitive cells stick together in clumps and just happen to meet each others' needs, in a pre-Cambrian form of socialism...? We have never seen unicellular creatures develop into multicellular creatures, either in the wild or under lab conditions. I don't know that there IS a hypothesis to account for the existence of multicellularity, other than "it must have happened, it's so obvious!"
2006-09-17 15:51:03 · answer #1 · answered by cdf-rom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have limited knowledge of the specifics here, but this is a short,incomplete, synopsis. Cells were thought to cluster; to exclude harmful or useless cells and to facilitate the useful interaction among similar cells.Th systematic division of labor is thought to have arose from this. A rather skimpy explanation, but the best I can do now.
2006-09-17 17:48:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋