Loss of the flagellum happened only once in the fungal lineage: phylogenetic structure of Kingdom Fungi inferred from RNA polymerase II subunit genes
2006
Evolutionary Relationships in Fungi
Sample size: 58
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Liu Yajuan J, Hodson Matthew C, Hall Benjamin D
Primary Institution: University of Washington
Hypothesis
The loss of the flagellum in fungi occurred only once during their evolution.
Conclusion
The study concludes that the loss of the flagellum happened only once in the fungal lineage, leading to the majority of fungi being nonflagellated.
Supporting Evidence
- Microsporidia are sister to kingdom Fungi and are not members of Zygomycota.
- Chytridiomycota is paraphyletic and is the basal lineage.
- Zygomycota is monophyletic based on sampling of Trichomycetes, Zygomycetes, and Glomales.
- Zygomycota, Basidiomycota, and Ascomycota form a monophyletic group separate from Chytridiomycota.
- Basidiomycota and Ascomycota are monophyletic sister groups.
Takeaway
This study shows that fungi lost their flagella only once, which makes them different from plants and animals that still have them.
Methodology
The study used sequences of nuclear genes RPB1 and RPB2 to infer a phylogeny of fungi.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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