Phylotranscriptomic Insights into a Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic Origin and Early Radiation of Green Seaweeds (Ulvophyceae)

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2022 Mar 23

PMID 35318329

Authors

Zheng Hou

Xiaoya Ma

Xuan Shi

Xi Li

Lingxiao Yang

Shuhai Xiao

Olivier De Clerck

Frederik Leliaert

Bojian Zhong

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Ulvophyceae, a major group of green algae, is of particular evolutionary interest because of its remarkable morphological and ecological diversity. Its phylogenetic relationships and diversification timeline, however, are still not fully resolved. In this study, using an extensive nuclear gene dataset, we apply coalescent- and concatenation-based approaches to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Ulvophyceae and to explore the sources of conflict in previous phylogenomic studies. The Ulvophyceae is recovered as a paraphyletic group, with the Bryopsidales being a sister group to the Chlorophyceae, and the remaining taxa forming a clade (Ulvophyceae sensu stricto). Molecular clock analyses with different calibration strategies emphasize the large impact of fossil calibrations, and indicate a Meso-Neoproterozoic origin of the Ulvophyceae (sensu stricto), earlier than previous estimates. The results imply that ulvophyceans may have had a profound influence on oceanic redox structures and global biogeochemical cycles at the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic transition.

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