Ethological dynamics in diorama environments

Several species of black yeast isolated from coastal waters have recently been found to switch between multicellular and unicellular forms of life depending on the culture conditions. In this 2-year project, we aim to test the following hypothesis: "Marine yeasts sense their surrounding environment (e.g. nutrient sources) and switch between a multicellular form suitable for substrate adhesion and a unicellular form that can move with water currents. This phenotypic plasticity is a proto-intelligence acquired by yeast to thrive in complex natural environments." To test this hypothesis, we will 1) uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this phenotypic plasticity through cell biology, genetics, and transcriptome analysis in a diorama environment. 2) elucidate how different yeast species utilize phenotypic plasticity to proliferate, based on field surveys. Through this research, we wish to contribute to this grant group, in particular on the exploration of behavioural dynamics of proto-intelligence across species boundaries.