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Phylotranscriptomics unveil a Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic origin and deep relationships of the Viridiplantae

Research output: Contribution to journalA1: Web of Science-articlepeer-review

  • Zhiping Yang
  • Xiaoya Ma
  • Qiuping Wang
  • Xiaolin Tian
  • Jingyan Sun
  • Zhenhua Zhang
  • Shuhai Xiao
  • Olivier De Clerck
  • Frederik Leliaert
  • Bojian Zhong
The Viridiplantae comprise two main clades, the Chlorophyta (including a diverse array of marine and freshwater green algae) and the Streptophyta (consisting of the freshwater charophytes and the land plants). Lineages sister to core Chlorophyta, informally refer to as prasinophytes, form a grade of mainly planktonic green algae. Recently, one of these lineages, Prasinodermophyta, which is previously grouped with prasinophytes, has been identified as the sister lineage to both Chlorophyta and Streptophyta. Resolving the deep relationships among green plants is crucial for understanding the historical impact of green algal diversity on marine ecology and geochemistry, but has been proven difficult given the ancient timing of the diversification events. Through extensive taxon and gene sampling, we conduct large-scale phylogenomic analyses to resolve deep relationships and reveal the Prasinodermophyta as the lineage sister to Chlorophyta, raising questions about the necessity of classifying the Prasinodermophyta as a distinct phylum. We unveil that incomplete lineage sorting is the main cause of discordance regarding the placement of Prasinodermophyta. Molecular dating analyses suggest that crown-group green plants and crown-group Prasinodermophyta date back to the Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic. Our study establishes a plausible link between oxygen levels in the Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic and the origin of Viridiplantae.
Original languageEnglish
Article number5542
JournalNature communications
Volume14
Issue number1
ISSN2041-1723
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

    Research areas

  • Cell Movement, Charophyceae, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Fresh Water, Viridiplantae

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