{"title":"Cell size matters: a unifying theory across the tree of life.","authors":"Marcin Czarnoleski, Wilco C E P Verberk","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cell size shapes how organisms interact with their environment, yet our understanding of these effects remains fragmented. We synthesise these effects into a Theory of Optimal Cell Size (TOCS), predicting that the size of single-cell organisms, as well as the number and size of cells in multicellular organisms, is subject to strong selection. At the heart of TOCS lies a trade-off between power and energy conservation: cell size acts as a 'double-edged sword', influencing both resource acquisition and maintenance costs. Major evolutionary transitions across the tree of life are connected with innovations in cellular organisation. A unified framework for cell size adaptation is essential for revealing the fundamental principles governing the ecology and evolution of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in ecology & evolution","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2025.09.003","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Cell size shapes how organisms interact with their environment, yet our understanding of these effects remains fragmented. We synthesise these effects into a Theory of Optimal Cell Size (TOCS), predicting that the size of single-cell organisms, as well as the number and size of cells in multicellular organisms, is subject to strong selection. At the heart of TOCS lies a trade-off between power and energy conservation: cell size acts as a 'double-edged sword', influencing both resource acquisition and maintenance costs. Major evolutionary transitions across the tree of life are connected with innovations in cellular organisation. A unified framework for cell size adaptation is essential for revealing the fundamental principles governing the ecology and evolution of life.
期刊介绍：
Trends in Ecology & Evolution (TREE) is a comprehensive journal featuring polished, concise, and readable reviews, opinions, and letters in all areas of ecology and evolutionary science. Catering to researchers, lecturers, teachers, field workers, and students, it serves as a valuable source of information. The journal keeps scientists informed about new developments and ideas across the spectrum of ecology and evolutionary biology, spanning from pure to applied and molecular to global perspectives. In the face of global environmental change, Trends in Ecology & Evolution plays a crucial role in covering all significant issues concerning organisms and their environments, making it a major forum for life scientists.
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