Eva Laura von der Heyde
Light microscopy image of the multicellular green alga Volvox carteri during embryonic cell divisions (left) and in the adult stage (right). The spherical organism has two different cell types. There are about 2000 small, somatic cells at the surface of the spheroid, which have simple eyes and two flagella for locomotion. The individual somatic cells are probably similar to the unicellular ancestors of the Volvocales. The significantly larger, reproductive cells are located within the spheroid and perform a series of cell divisions to become the daughter spheroids of the next generation. Photo: Eva L. von der Heyde
Eva Laura von der Heyde's work was awarded with the Prize for the Best Plant Science Master Thesis, which was carried out at Bielefeld University in the year 2015.
Title of the awarded thesis
"Study of taxonomically restricted gene families in Volvox carteri"
She identified and analysed those gene families in the multicellular green algae Volvox carteri that developed during evolution from unicellular to multicellular organisms. These gene families could be crucial for evolution of multicellularity.