Euglenales

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Euglenales
Euglena mutabilis - 400x - 1 (10388739803) (cropped).jpg
Euglena mutabilis
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Domain: Eukaryota
Phylum: Euglenozoa
Class: Euglenoidea
Order: Euglenales
F.Stein, 1878
Families [1]

Euglenales (also known as Euglenida) is an order of flagellates in the phylum Euglenozoa. The family includes the most well-known euglenoid genus, Euglena , as well as other common genera like Phacus and Lepocinclis . [1]

Contents

Nomenclature

The order Euglenales is also known by the name Euglenida. The origin of this dual naming system is because of the history of protists. Euglenids have been treated as both algae and protozoans, which are governed by separate nomenclature codes. [2] If classified as an alga, it would fall under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) and its correct name would be Euglenales; if classified as a protozoan, it would fall under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) and would be called Euglenida. [1] Euglenids such as these are considered to be ambiregnal protists due to their parallel naming systems. [2]

Description

Euglenales consists mostly of freshwater organisms, in contrast to its sister Eutreptiales which is generally marine. Cells have two flagella, but only one is emergent; the other is very short and does not emerge from the cell, so cells appear to have only one flagellum. [3] In comparison, Eutreptiales is characterized by two emergent flagella. [4]

Phylogeny

In its current circumscription, Euglenales is monophyletic, consisting of two sister clades corresponding to Euglenaceae and Phacaceae. [5]

A cladogram representing the phylogenetic relationships is shown below: [1]

Photosynthetic euglenoids
Euglenales

Euglenaceae

Phacaceae

Eutreptiales

Rapazida

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euglenozoa</span> Phylum of protozoans

Euglenozoa are a large group of flagellate Discoba. They include a variety of common free-living species, as well as a few important parasites, some of which infect humans. Euglenozoa are represented by four major groups, i.e., Kinetoplastea, Diplonemea, Euglenida, and Symbiontida. Euglenozoa are unicellular, mostly around 15–40 μm (0.00059–0.00157 in) in size, although some euglenids get up to 500 μm (0.020 in) long.

<i>Euglena</i> Genus of unicellular flagellate eukaryotes

Euglena is a genus of single cell flagellate eukaryotes. It is the best known and most widely studied member of the class Euglenoidea, a diverse group containing some 54 genera and at least 200 species. Species of Euglena are found in fresh water and salt water. They are often abundant in quiet inland waters where they may bloom in numbers sufficient to color the surface of ponds and ditches green (E. viridis) or red (E. sanguinea).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euglenid</span> Class of protozoans

Euglenids are one of the best-known groups of flagellates, which are excavate eukaryotes of the phylum Euglenophyta and their cell structure is typical of that group. They are commonly found in freshwater, especially when it is rich in organic materials, with a few marine and endosymbiotic members. Many euglenids feed by phagocytosis, or strictly by diffusion. A monophyletic group consisting of the mixotrophic Rapaza viridis and the two groups Eutreptiales and Euglenales have chloroplasts and produce their own food through photosynthesis. This group is known to contain the carbohydrate paramylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green algae</span> Paraphyletic group of autotrophic eukaryotes in the clade Archaeplastida

The green algae are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as sister of the Zygnematophyceae. Since the realization that the Embryophytes emerged within the green algae, some authors are starting to include them. The completed clade that includes both green algae and embryophytes is monophyletic and is referred to as the clade Viridiplantae and as the kingdom Plantae. The green algae include unicellular and colonial flagellates, most with two flagella per cell, as well as various colonial, coccoid and filamentous forms, and macroscopic, multicellular seaweeds. There are about 22,000 species of green algae. Many species live most of their lives as single cells, while other species form coenobia (colonies), long filaments, or highly differentiated macroscopic seaweeds.

<i>Euglena gracilis</i> Species of single-celled Eukaryote algae

Euglena gracilis is a freshwater species of single-celled alga in the genus Euglena. It has secondary chloroplasts, and is a mixotroph able to feed by photosynthesis or phagocytosis. It has a highly flexible cell surface, allowing it to change shape from a thin cell up to 100 µm long, to a sphere of approximately 20 µm. Each cell has two flagella, only one of which emerges from the flagellar pocket (reservoir) in the anterior of the cell, and can move by swimming, or by so-called "euglenoid" movement across surfaces. E. gracilis has been used extensively in the laboratory as a model organism, particularly for studying cell biology, biochemistry. Other areas of their use range from complex biological processes as photosynthesis, photoreception, phototaxic responses, nutritional studies and the relationship of molecular structure to the biological function of subcellular particles from a fundamental point of view. Euglena gracilis, is the most studied member of the Euglenaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euglenaceae</span> Family of flagellate eukaryotes

Euglenaceae is a family of flagellates in the phylum Euglenozoa. The family includes the most well-known euglenoid genus, Euglena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ochrophyte</span> Phylum of algae

Ochrophytes are the photosynthetic stramenopiles, a group of eukaryotes characterized by the presence of two unequal flagella, one of which has tripartite hairs called mastigonemes. Ochrophytes are one of the most diverse lineages of eukaryotes, containing ecologically important algae such as brown algae and diatoms. They are classified either as phylum Ochrophyta or subphylum Ochrophytina within phylum Gyrista. Their plastid is of red algal origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protozoa</span> Single-celled eukaryotic organisms that feed on organic matter

Protozoa are a polyphyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic debris. Historically, protozoans were regarded as "one-celled animals".

<i>Calkinsia</i> Genus of algae

Calkinsia is a monotypic genus of excavates comprising the single species Calkinsia aureus. It lives in low-oxygen seafloor environments. It is not classified in any of the three well-known groups of the Euglenozoa, but is placed in its own group, the Symbiontida. Some authors have classified Calkinsia alongside Postgaardi, but Postgaardi has not been studied well enough to test this hypothesis.

<i>Phacus</i> Genus of algae

Phacus is a genus of unicellular excavates, of the phylum Euglenozoa, characterized by its flat, leaf-shaped structure, and rigid cytoskeleton known as a pellicle. These eukaryotes are mostly green in colour, and have a single flagellum that extends the length of their body. They are morphologically very flat, rigid, leaf-shaped, and contain many small discoid chloroplasts.

A mixotroph is an organism that can use a mix of different sources of energy and carbon, instead of having a single trophic mode on the continuum from complete autotrophy at one end to heterotrophy at the other. It is estimated that mixotrophs comprise more than half of all microscopic plankton. There are two types of eukaryotic mixotrophs: those with their own chloroplasts, and those with endosymbionts—and those that acquire them through kleptoplasty or through symbiotic associations with prey or enslavement of their organelles.

<i>Peranema</i> Genus of protozoans

Peranema is a genus of free-living phagotrophic euglenids. There are more than 20 nominal species, varying in size between 8 and 200 micrometers. Peranema cells are gliding flagellates found in freshwater lakes, ponds and ditches, and are often abundant at the bottom of stagnant pools rich in decaying organic material. Although they belong to the class Euglenoidea, and are morphologically similar to the green Euglena, Peranema have no chloroplasts, and do not conduct autotrophy. Instead, they capture live prey, such as yeast, bacteria and other flagellates, consuming them with the help of a rigid feeding apparatus called a "rod-organ." Unlike the green euglenids, they lack both an eyespot (stigma), and the paraflagellar body (photoreceptor) that is normally coupled with that organelle. However, while Peranema lack a localized photoreceptor, they do possess the light-sensitive protein rhodopsin, and respond to changes in light with a characteristic "curling behaviour."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplonemidae</span> Family of protozoans

Diplonemidae is a family of biflagellated unicellular protists that may be among the more diverse and common groups of planktonic organisms in the ocean. Although this family is currently made up of three named genera; Diplonema, Rhynchopus, and Hemistasia, there likely exist thousands of still unnamed genera. Organisms are generally colourless and oblong in shape, with two flagella emerging from a subapical pocket. They possess a large mitochondrial genome composed of fragmented linear DNA. These non-coding sequences must be massively trans-spliced, making it one of the most complicated post-transcriptional editing process known to eukaryotes.

The initial version of a classification system of life by British zoologist Thomas Cavalier-Smith appeared in 1978. This initial system continued to be modified in subsequent versions that were published until he died in 2021. As with classifications of others, such as Carl Linnaeus, Ernst Haeckel, Robert Whittaker, and Carl Woese, Cavalier-Smith's classification attempts to incorporate the latest developments in taxonomy., Cavalier-Smith used his classifications to convey his opinions about the evolutionary relationships among various organisms, principally microbial. His classifications complemented his ideas communicated in scientific publications, talks, and diagrams. Different iterations might have a wider or narrow scope, include different groupings, provide greater or lesser detail, and place groups in different arrangements as his thinking changed. His classifications has been a major influence in the modern taxonomy, particularly of protists.

Heteronema is a genus of phagotrophic, flagellated euglenoids that are most widely distributed in fresh water environments. This genus consists of two very distinguishable morphogroups that are phylogenetically closely related. These morphogroups are deciphered based on shape, locomotion and other ultrastructural traits. However, this genus does impose taxonomic problems due to the varying historical descriptions of Heteronema species and its similarity to the genus Paranema. The species H. exaratum, was the first heteronemid with a skidding motion to be sequenced, which led to the discovery that it was not closely related to H. scaphrum, contrary to what was previously assumed, but instead to a sister group of primary osmotrophs. This suggests that skidding heteronemids can also be distinguished phylogenetically, being more closely related to Anisoma, Dinema and Aphageae, than to other species within Heteronema.

Cryptoglena(/ˌkɹɪptoʊˈgliːnə/) is a genus of photosynthetic euglenids that was first described in 1831 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. Today, its circumscription is controversial: Bicudo and Menezes consider twenty-one species as Cryptoglena, of which, nine are uncertain. Cryptoglena species are water-based, living in both freshwater and marine environments. They are biflagellated, with one internal flagellum and one external flagellum, which allows movement through environments as demonstrated by Kim and Shin in the species C. pigra. The cells of Cryptoglena resemble a coffee bean, as they have a groove that runs the length of the cell on one side and makes them U-shaped in cross section. They are ovoid in shape and are small, with the larger cells being on average 25 x 15 μm. After being first described in 1831, little work was done on the genus until the late 1970s and early 1980s, after the scanning electron microscope completed development and was implemented into laboratories. Work then proceeded with the developments of molecular biology, which allows for classifications based on DNA sequences. For Cryptoglena the main DNA used for classification are small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine protists</span> Protists that live in saltwater or brackish water

Marine protists are defined by their habitat as protists that live in marine environments, that is, in the saltwater of seas or oceans or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. Life originated as marine single-celled prokaryotes and later evolved into more complex eukaryotes. Eukaryotes are the more developed life forms known as plants, animals, fungi and protists. Protists are the eukaryotes that cannot be classified as plants, fungi or animals. They are mostly single-celled and microscopic. The term protist came into use historically as a term of convenience for eukaryotes that cannot be strictly classified as plants, animals or fungi. They are not a part of modern cladistics because they are paraphyletic.

Postgaardia is a proposed basal clade of flagellate Euglenozoa, following Thomas Cavalier-Smith. As of April 2023, the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera treats the group as a subphylum. A 2021 review of Euglenozoa places Cavalier-Smith's proposed members of Postgaardia in the class Symbiontida. As Euglenozoans may be basal eukaryotes, the Postgaardia may be key to studying the evolution of Eukaryotes, including the incorporation of eukaryotic traits such as the incorporation of alphaproteobacterial mitochondrial endosymbionts.

Dinema, synonym Dinematomonas, is a genus of flagellated algae in the phylum Euglenozoa.

Anisonemidae is a small family of euglenid algae, with two accepted genera. It is the only family in the order Anisonemida.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kostygov, Alexei Y.; Karnkowska, Anna; Votýpka, Jan; Tashyreva, Daria; MacIszewski, Kacper; Yurchenko, Vyacheslav; Lukeš, Julius (2021). "Euglenozoa: Taxonomy, diversity and ecology, symbioses and viruses". Open Biology. 11 (3): 200407. doi:10.1098/rsob.200407. PMC   8061765 . PMID   33715388.
  2. 1 2 Patterson, David J.; Larsen, Jacob (1992). "A Perspective on Protistan Nomenclature". The Journal of Protozoology. 39: 125–131. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1992.tb01292.x.
  3. Triemer, Richard E.; Zakryś, Bożena (2014). "Chapter 10. Photosynthetic Euglenoids". In Wehr, John D.; Sheath, Robert G.; Kociolek, J. Patrick (eds.). Freshwater Algae of North America: Ecology and Classification (2 ed.). Elsevier Inc. ISBN   978-0-12-385876-4.
  4. Yamaguchi, Aika; Yubuki, Naoji; Leander, Brian S. (2012). "Morphostasis in a novel eukaryote illuminates the evolutionary transition from phagotrophy to phototrophy: Description of Rapaza viridis n. gen. et sp. (Euglenozoa, Euglenida)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 12: 29. doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-12-29 . PMC   3374381 . PMID   22401606.
  5. Kim, Jong Im; Linton, Eric W.; Shin, Woongghi (2015). "Taxon-rich multigene phylogeny of the photosynthetic euglenoids (Euglenophyceae)". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 3. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00098 .