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Evolutionary biology

Farming writ small

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Social slime moulds graze on bacteria, but save some for transmission in their spores. Strains practising this primitive form of farming coexist with non-farmer strains in an intriguing cost–benefit equilibrium. See Letter p.393

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Figure 1: Stages in the life cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum.

CAROLINA BIOLOGICAL/VISUALS UNLIMITED/CORBIS D. SCHARF/SPL

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Jacobus J. (Koos) Boomsma is in the Centre for Social Evolution, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. jjboomsma@bio.ku.dk,

    Jacobus J. Boomsma

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  1. Jacobus J. Boomsma
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Boomsma, J. Farming writ small. Nature 469, 308–309 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/469308a

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