The Deep Roots of Eukaryotes
Abstract
Most cultivated and characterized eukaryotes can be confidently assigned to one of eight major groups. After a few false starts, we are beginning to resolve relationships among these major groups as well. However, recent developments are radically revising this picture again, particularly (i)the discovery of the likely antiquity and taxonomic diversity of ultrasmall eukaryotes, and (ii)a fundamental rethinking of the position of the root. Together these data suggest major gaps in our understanding simply of what eukaryotes are or, when it comes to the tree, even which end is up.
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The phylogeny resulting from the maximum likelihood analysis of the 30,399 unambiguously aligned amino acid positions is in agreement with current opinion about eukaryotic relationships.
“The phylogeny resulting from the maximum likelihood analysis of the 30,399 unambiguously aligned amino acid positions (Fig. 1) is in agreement with current opinion about eukaryotic relationships (44).”
From The timing of eukaryotic evolution: Does a relaxed molecular clock reconcile proteins and fossils? (2004) · cites this paper as [44]
The root location is uncertain among eukaryotes.
“Because the root location is uncertain among eukaryotes (44), we recalculated divergence times after moving the root from the branch leading to the cellular slime mold to the one leading to kinetoplastids (Fig. 1).”
From The timing of eukaryotic evolution: Does a relaxed molecular clock reconcile proteins and fossils? (2004) · cites this paper as [44]
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- Authors
- Baldauf, S. L.
- Affiliations
- University of York (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Baldauf, S. L.
- ORCID
- Baldauf, S. L.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2003-06-13
- Volume
- 300
- Issue
- 5626
- Pages
- 1703-1706
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2104216356
- Cited by
- 782
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 19.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Keywords
- eukaryotic phylogeny, eukaryotic origin, eukaryotic evolution
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Classification, Eukaryotic Cells, Biological Evolution, Phylogeny, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Ecosystem
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