Phylogenetic Considerations of Prochloron (original) (raw)

Abstract

Since the first report on Prochloron didemni (originally described as Synechocystis didemni), a new kind of microscopic alga associated with didemnid ascidians (Lewin, 1975), there have been extensive discussions about its phylogenetic position, its rank, and its role as a possible ancestor of chloroplasts of green algae and higher plants. This prokaryotic phototrophic microorganism, with its unique pigment composition, was discovered in a period when, for the first time in microbiology, it was becoming possible to establish certain phylogenetic relationships and consequently to propose a sound definition of higher ranks of prokaryotes. There were, basically, two different, opposing views. The traditional one bases taxonomic conclusions on comparisons of phenotypic characters (e.g., morphological, biochemical, and physiological properties). On the other hand, the molecular—genetic one determines natural relationships by emphasizing comparative analyses of genomes or parts thereof. Proponents of the first school can in most cases be recognized by their defining Prochloron as an alga, prokaryotic alga, or blue-green alga, whereas members of the second school refer to Prochloron as a bacterium, a prokaryote, or a cyanobacterium.

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  1. Erko Stackebrandt
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, 92093, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
    Ralph A. Lewin & Lana Cheng &

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© 1989 Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Inc.

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Stackebrandt, E. (1989). Phylogenetic Considerations of Prochloron . In: Lewin, R.A., Cheng, L. (eds) Prochloron: A Microbial Enigma. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0853-9\_6

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