Multicellular organisms have evolved from unicellular ancestors across the tree of life many times. Despite the relative ease with which multicellularity has emerged in nature and the lab, our understanding of the molecular and evolutionary players underlying the establishment and maintenance of simple and complex multicellular organisms remains incomplete.

The volvocine algae are a group of haploid, photosynthetic eukaryotes readily grown in laboratory conditions. Their complexity ranges from unicellular (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), to multicellular and differentiated (genus Volvox). We use the volvocine algae as an evolutionary cell biology (ECB) model system for the study of multicellularity and complex development. Our goals include:

• To refine our understanding of the forces underlying the evolution of volvocine complexity at the genomic and proteomic levels

• To yield insight into the degree to which body plans result from modifications of orthologous cellular and molecular structures

• To explore the population genetic environment that different multicellular volvocines are subject to