The mysterious origin and evolution of green algae and land plants from ancient marine flagellates
Chapman, R.L. and Waters, D.A.
Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA
Molecular cladistic studies indicate that the evolution of green algae and the land plants involved two major clades. The first, the Chlorophyta sensu stricto (Chlorophyceae sensu lato) includes both freshwater and marine green algae. The second, the Streptophyta (or Charophyceae sensu lato) includes only freshwater green algae and the land plants. Marine flagellates are clearly shown in molecular analyses to be among the basal evolutionary lineages; Our presentation will address the following critical evolutionary questions: How many separate lineages of marine flagellates were there? Did the Chlorophyta and Streptophyta evolve from a common marine flagellate ancestor? If so, why did a freshwater lineage vis-a-vis a marine lineage give rise to the land plants? Why does the Chlorophyta contain both marine and freshwater (as well as subaerial) organisms, but the algae in the Streptophyta are only freshwater organisms with no affinities to marine algae other than ancestral marine flagellates? What is the likely nature of the primitive marine flagellates that gave rise to the Chlorophyta and Streptophyta?
| LOCATION |
DATE |
TIME |
| Lecture Hall I |
Tuesday, April 7 |
03:40 pm |