Phylogenomics and Morphological Reconstruction of Arcellinida Testate Amoebae Highlight Diversity of Microbial Eukaryotes in the Neoproterozoic

Author(s):Show less -

Lahr, Daniel J. G. ^[1] ; Kosakyan, Anush ^{[1, 2]} ; Lar, Enrique ^{[3, 4]} ; Mitchell, Edward A. D. ^{[3, 5]} ; Morais, Luana ^[6] ; Porfirio-Sousa, Alfredo L. ^[1] ; Ribeiro, Giulia M. ^[1] ; Tice, Alexander K. ^{[7, 8]} ; Panek, Tomas ^{[7, 9]} ; Kang, Seungho ^{[7, 8]} ; Brown, Matthew W. ^{[7, 8]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biosci, Dept Zool, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Czech Acad Sci, Biol Ctr, Inst Parasitol, BraniSovska 1160-31, Ceske Budejovice 37005 - Czech Republic

^[3] Univ Neuchatel, Lab Soil Biodivers, Rue Emile Argand 11, CH-2000 Neuchatel - Switzerland

^[4] CSIC, Real Jardin Bot, Plaza Murillo 2, ES-28014 Madrid - Spain

^[5] Bot Garden Neuchatel, Pertuis du Sault 58, CH-2000 Neuchatel - Switzerland

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Astron Geophys & Atmospher Sci, Dept Geophys, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[7] Mississippi State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Starkville, MS 39759 - USA

^[8] Mississippi State Univ, Inst Genom Biocomp & Biotechnol, Starkville, MS 39759 - USA

^[9] Univ Ostrava, Fac Sci, Dept Biol & Ecol, Ostrava - Czech Republic

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Current Biology; v. 29, n. 6, p. 991+, MAR 18 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Life was microbial for the majority of Earth's history, but as very few microbial lineages leave a fossil record, the Precambrian evolution of life remains shrouded in mystery. Shelled (testate) amoebae stand out as an exception with rich documented diversity in the Neoproterozoic as vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs). While there is general consensus that most of these can be attributed to the Arcellinida lineage in Amoebozoa, it is still unclear whether they can be used as key fossils for interpretation of early eukaryotic evolution. Here, we present a well-resolved phylogenomic reconstruction based on 250 genes, obtained using single-cell transcriptomic techniques from a representative selection of 19 Arcellinid testate amoeba taxa. The robust phylogenetic framework enables deeper interpretations of evolution in this lineage and demanded an updated classification of the group. Additionally, we performed reconstruction of ancestral morphologies, yielding hypothetical ancestors remarkably similar to existing Neoproterozoic VSMs. We demonstrate that major lineages of testate amoebae were already diversified before the Sturtian glaciation (720 mya), supporting the hypothesis that massive eukaryotic diversification took place in the early Neoproterozoic and congruent with the interpretation that VSM are arcellinid testate amoebae. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/25729-3 - Temporal morphological variation of natural and clonal testate amoeba (Arcella vulgaris and Arcella gibbosa) lineages
• Grantee: Alfredo Leonardo Porfirio de Sousa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 15/02689-1 - Experiments on competitive exclusion
• Grantee: Giulia Magri Ribeiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 13/04585-3 - Deciphering the major trends of molecular and morphological evolution in the Amoebozoa
• Grantee: Daniel José Galafasse Lahr
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/12852-1 - Taphonomy and systematics of Neoproterozoic vase shaped microfossils from Brazil and their paleoecological and phylogenetic significance
• Grantee: Luana Pereira Costa de Morais
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate