AN ANALYSIS OF THE AGGREGATION STAGE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SLIME MOLDS, DICTYOSTELIACEAE. I. THE POPULATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE CAPACITY TO INITIATE AGGREGATION

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Abstract
1. Examination of the aggregation stage in the development of the Dictyosteliaceae has revealed that the number of aggregative centers formed is a function of the population size and density. At population densities which do not limit the formation of centers, the number of such centers is proportional to the number of myxamoebae present. For D. discoideum, the number of centers/cell was found to be 4.73 x 10-4 and for D. purpureum, 3.3 x 10-3. These values correspond to one aggregation for about 2100 and 300 cells, respectively. The values remain constant throughout the aggregation process. 2. Analysis of the distribution of centers within small, replicate, population samples of myxamoebac indicates that the capacity for center initiation is possessed by only a small proportion of cells. The values for the number of centers/cell achieved by this method agreed well with those previously cited. 3. The implications of these findings are discussed.

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