Question

How does control and coordination occur in single celled animals?

Answer 1

The cytoplasm of the single-celled animal controls and coordinates the activities of the organism.

Answer 2

Answer:

In multicellular organisms (such as yourself), cell-cell signaling allows cells to coordinate their activities, ensuring that tissues, organs, and organ systems function correctly. Does that mean that unicellular organisms, like yeast and bacteria, don’t use cell-cell signaling pathways?

As a matter of fact, these organisms do still need to “talk” to one another. The cells may not be part of the same organism, but they belong to the same population, and – just like people in a human population – need ways to communicate about matters of interpersonal or community importance. Bacteria, for example, use chemical signals to detect population density (how many other bacteria are in the area) and change their behavior accordingly, while yeast produce chemical signals that allow them to find mates.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at how unicellular organisms "chat" with one another using chemical signals.