Evolutionary Rates in the Haptophyta: Exploring Molecular and Phenotypic Diversity

Henderiks, J, Sturm, D, Šupraha, L and Langer, G 2022 Evolutionary Rates in the Haptophyta: Exploring Molecular and Phenotypic Diversity. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 10 (6), 798. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10060798

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Abstract/Summary

Haptophytes are photosynthetic protists found in both freshwater and marine environments with an origin possibly dating back to the Neoproterozoic era. The most recent molecular phylogeny reveals several haptophyte “mystery clades” that await morphological verification, but it is otherwise highly consistent with morphology-based phylogenies, including that of the coccolithophores (calcifying haptophytes). The fossil coccolith record offers unique insights into extinct lineages, including the adaptive radiations that produced extant descendant species. By combining molecular data of extant coccolithophores and phenotype-based studies of their ancestral lineages, it has become possible to probe the modes and rates of speciation in more detail, although this approach is still limited to only few taxa because of the lack of whole-genome datasets. The evolution of calcification likely involved several steps, but its origin can be traced back to an early association with organic scales typical for all haptophytes. Other key haptophyte traits, including the haplo-diplontic life cycle, are herein mapped upon the coccolithophorid phylogeny to help navigate a discussion of their ecological benefits and trade-offs in a rapidly changing ocean.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Phytoplankton, Haptophytes, Coccolithophores, Molecular Phylogeny, Coccoliths, Marine Fossil Record, Adaptive Evolution, Functional Traits, Haplo-Diplontic Life Cycle
Subjects:	Ecology and Environment Marine Sciences Oceanography
Divisions:	Marine Biological Association of the UK > Other (MBA)
Depositing User:	Tamar Atkinson
Date made live:	22 Jul 2022 13:27
Last Modified:	09 Feb 2024 16:57
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/9743

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