Previous molecular clock studies indicated a Mesozoic origin for the brown algae (Phaeophyceae). New research based on phylogenetic evidence challenges this notion and provides novel insights into the origin and diversification of brown algae, which includes multiple transitions within the group from isogamy to oogamy (and back again!).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe siphonous green algae are an assemblage of seaweeds that consist of a single giant cell. They comprise two sister orders, the Bryopsidales and Dasycladales. We infer the phylogenetic relationships among the siphonous green algae based on a five-locus data matrix and analyze temporal aspects of their diversification using relaxed molecular clock methods calibrated with the fossil record.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF