Beneficial effects of colonies and binding

[Buckly]

@Maxonovien

I meant, it is already a strong benefit, which was not mentioned in the initial post.

Oh, my bad

@Maxonovien

Yeah, it does not handle cell differentiation, but it still changes the total exposure (i.e. income & osmoregulation) of the colony. It’s not very different, however, from what would have with single cell.

And I think this is the key here: almost every other benefit (except your 3 methods and perhaps faster healing) can be obtained with a single, larger cell. Why would we have, in such a setting, cell colonies? That’s a tough nut to crack.

A tentative answer could be that it’s easier to achieve (make two independent parts and join rather than create everything from one part), or falls under Nash equilibria (doubling the cell is beneficial, but you intermediate steps are not), so that’s just “auto-evo” at this point.

One could also invoke disposability : if a part of a colony is damaged beyond repair, it only kills x% of it, with a single cell it’s 100%.

In regards to colonies versus larger cells, unless you are a photosynthesizer, managing a large cell can be difficult and resource intensive. Thus colonies can be a superior method of reaping the benefits of being large, without actually being large.

@Maxonovien

More temporarily, there’s also the advantage of being able to split when needed (like chasing predators), but that can’t be applied to “permanent colonies” (i.e. multicellular organisms). Are temporary colonies a mere step toward it though, more likely to emerge, and fitter than loneliness, but less fit than permanent colony in every setting?

There is most definitely benefits that colonies experience that true multicellular organisms don’t. Being able to disband at will being one of them, as well as individual cells being able to live and survive on their own should the colony be disrupted. Players will likely experience this in Thrive, but should they want to reach later stages they will need to be able to become a multicellular organism.

@Kemikal

Dont you mean method B?

No I meant Method A, as through that method cells could have negative effects based on the amount of adjacent cells attached to them, rather than based on the amount of cells in the colony as a whole which is method B.