With the permission of the publisher and the authors, we have made internally peer-reviewed but unformatted drafts of all 18 chapters of The Evolution of Multicellularity available for download. Please note that there may be substantive differences between these pre-publication versions and the final book chapters.

The full book is available on Amazon and direct from the publisher in hardcover and ebook formats. The paperback is due out in 12-18 months, at which point the price of the ebook will drop.

Table of Contents

Foreword – Andrew H. Knoll – Formatted version available at doi 10.1201/9780429351907 (use the “Preview PDF” button)

1. Introduction: The Evolution of Multicellularity in Context – Matthew D. Herron, Peter L. Conlin, and William C. Ratcliff – Formatted version available at doi 10.1201/9780429351907 (use the “Preview PDF” button)

Section 1: Theory and Philosophy

2. Getting at the Basics of Multicellularity – Maureen A. O’Malley

3. Multi-Level Selection of the Individual Organism – Richard E. Michod

4. Life Cycles as a Central Organizing Theme for Studying Multicellularity – Merlijn Staps, Jordi van Gestel, and Corina E. Tarnita

Section 2: Aggregative Multicellularity

5. Eukaryote Aggregative Multicellularity: Phylogenetic Distribution and a Case Study of Its Proximate and Ultimate Cause in Dictyostelia – Pauline Schaap

6. Group Formation: On the Evolution of Aggregative Multicellularity – Marco La Fortezza, Kaitlin A. Schaal, and Gregory J. Velicer

7. Group Maintenance in Aggregative Multicellularity – Israt Jahan, Tyler Larsen, Joan E. Strassmann, and David C. Queller

8. Group Transformation: Fruiting Body and Stalk Formation – Cathleen Broersma and Elizabeth A. Ostrowski

Section 3: Clonal Multicellularity

9. Phylogenetics of Clonal Multicellularity – Michelle M. Leger and Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo

10. Group Formation: Hypotheses for the Evolution of Clonal Multicellularity – Stefania E. Kapsetaki and Roberta M. Fisher

11. Group Maintenance in Clonal Multicellularity: Controlling Intra-organismal Evolution – Aurora M. Nedelcu and Alexander N. May

12. Group Transformation: Life History Trade-offs, Division of Labor, and Evolutionary Transitions in Individuality – Guilhem Doulcier, Katrin Hammerschmidt, and Pierrick Bourrat

Section 4: Life Cycles and Complex Multicellularity

13. The Single-Celled Ancestors of Animals: A History of Hypotheses – Thibaut Brunet and Nicole King

14. Convergent Evolution of Complex Multicellularity in Fungi – László G. Nagy

15. Genetic and Developmental Mechanisms of Cellular Differentiation in Algae – Susana M. Coelho and J. Mark Cock

16. The Evolution of Complex Multicellularity in Streptophytes – Liam N. Briginshaw and John L. Bowman

17. Multi-Species Multicellular Life Cycles – Rebecka Andersson, Hanna Isaksson, and Eric Libby

Section 5: Synthesis and Conclusions

18. Conclusion: The Future of Multicellularity Research – William C. Ratcliff, Peter L. Conlin, and Matthew D. Herron