SUMMARY: Study of three mutants of Dictyostelium discoideum—Fruity, Bushy and Dwarf—provide specific examples of aberrant behaviour during aggregation and the construction of fruiting bodies. The proportion of initiator cells in the population and the optimal population density for aggregation have been shown to be under genetic control. In the Fruity mutant, the great increase in the number of initiator cells leads to the formation of aggregates composed of very few individuals and correspondingly tiny fruits. The morphology of the aggregates and fruits and the regulatory properties of this morphogenetic system have been examined.
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