2015/01/26 by Francisco Figueroa‐Martinez, Aurora M. Nedelcu, David Roy Smith +1 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Protist diversity and phylogeny #Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology #Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/nph.13279
openalex publication_date 2015/01/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The endosymbiotic origin of plastids was a launching point for eukaryotic evolution. The autotrophic abilities bestowed by plastids are responsible for much of the eukaryotic diversity we observe today. But despite its many advantages, photosynthesis has been lost numerous times and in disparate lineages throughout eukaryote evolution. For example, among green algae, several groups have lost photosynthesis independently and in response to different selective pressures; these include the parasitic/pathogenic trebouxiophyte genera Helicosporidium and Prototheca, and the free-living chlamydomonadalean genera Polytomella and Polytoma. Here, we examine the published data on colorless green algae and argue that investigations into the different evolutionary routes leading to their current nonphotosynthetic lifestyles provide exceptional opportunities to understand the ecological and genomic factors involved in the loss of photosynthesis.