The Eukaryotic Tree of Life from a Global Phylogenomic Perspective

2014/05/01 by Fabien Burki · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Protist diversity and phylogeny #Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies #Marine Ecology and Invasive Species

paper · pdf · doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a016147

openalex publication_date 2014/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14

Abstract

Molecular phylogenetics has revolutionized our knowledge of the eukaryotic tree of life. With the advent of genomics, a new discipline of phylogenetics has emerged: phylogenomics. This method uses large alignments of tens to hundreds of genes to reconstruct evolutionary histories. This approach has led to the resolution of ancient and contentious relationships, notably between the building blocks of the tree (the supergroups), and allowed to place in the tree enigmatic yet important protist lineages for understanding eukaryote evolution. Here, I discuss the pros and cons of phylogenomics and review the eukaryotic supergroups in light of earlier work that laid the foundation for the current view of the tree, including the position of the root. I conclude by presenting a picture of eukaryote evolution, summarizing the most recent progress in assembling the global tree.

Citations

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Cited by

• SAR supergroup [wikipedia]