Dictyostelium discoideum as a Model in Biomedical Research -- Genome Analysis of Social Amoebae -- Signalling During Dictyostelium Development -- The Chemotactic Compass Transcriptional Regulators – Dynamic Drivers of Multicellular Formation, Cell Differentiation and Development -- Non-coding RNAs in Dictyostelium discoideum and other Dictyostelid Social Amoebae -- Sex in Dictyostelia -- A global Overview of Dictyostelid Ecology with Special Emphasis in North American Forest -- Evolution of Dictyostelid Social Amoebas Inferred from the Use of Molecular Tools -- The Evolution of the Cellular Slime Molds -- Social Selection in the Cellular Slime Moulds -- The Non-dictyostelid Sorocarpic Amoebae.

Since their discovery in 1869, the dictyostelids have attracted the attention of scientists in a wide variety of fields. This interest has stemmed from their peculiar lifestyle and developmental properties, which were shaped by the evolutionary forces that generated multicellularity during eukaryotic evolution. More recently, the dictyostelids have gained attention due to the striking similarities found at the genomic, cellular and biochemical levels with human cells, which has propelled the species Dictyostelium discoideum to become a model system for biology and medicine in many laboratories. This book covers the latest advances in our knowledge of these extraordinary organisms with topics spanning from their evolutionary history, ecology and diversity to the recent discoveries regarding their cellular and molecular biology.