The ability of Manduca moths to recognize changes in the profile of volatile compounds released by plants being attacked by Manduca caterpillars allows them to lay their eggs on plants that are less likely to be attacked by insects and other predators, and to avoid competing against other caterpillars of the same species for resources.
S Allmann, A Späthe, S Bisch-Knaden, M Kallenbach, A Reinecke, S Sachse, IT Baldwin, BS Hansson
The ability to share resources for the benefit of all members of a group may have driven ancient organisms to evolve from a unicellular to a multicellular state.
The nematode worm C. elegans consumes familiar bacterial species more rapidly than it does novel ones, and this preference for familiarity is mediated by a pair of serotonergic neurons.
Cauliflower mosaic virus reacts immediately when aphids feed on the host plant, and this boosts its chances of being taken up and transmitted by the insects to a new plant.
A Martinière, A Bak, J Macia, N Lautredou, D Gargani, J Doumayrou, E Garzo, A Moreno, A Fereres, S Blanc, M Drucker
The development of colonies of cells in choanoflagellates, water-dwelling organisms that feed on bacteria, is triggered by the presence of very low concentrations of a lipid molecule produced by certain types of bacteria.
RA Alegado, LW Brown, S Cao, RK Dermenjian, R Zuzow, SR Fairclough, J Clardy, N King