Journal
PLANT SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION
Volume 304, Issue 10, Pages 1221-1229Publisher
SPRINGER WIEN
DOI: 10.1007/s00606-018-1542-z
Keywords
Aphanothece caldariorum; Field samples; Life cycle; Nanocytes; Reproductive route
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Funding
- Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico (DGAPA) [IN228116]
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Gloeobacter violaceus is a simple unicellular cyanobacterium believed to be basal to all cyanobacteria. It is unique among the cyanobacteria in various features, but most significantly in the absence of thylakoids and a circadian clock. We found additional features which support the basal status of the clade of G. violaceus in samples from a wet wall in a waterfall cave in central Mexico. We encountered a high morphological and morphometric variability in the populations studied. In trying to explain the reasons for this, we discovered that it can be attributed basically to two phenomena: a lack of synchronicity, circadian or other, in the cell cycles of the organisms; and the presence of a scheme with three simultaneous reproductive options. These two characteristics interfere with the development of a life cycle comparable to that found in other organisms. We coined the term reproductive routes for the alternative to a life cycle and discuss the consequences of having several routes instead of a cycle. Our results open avenues for studies to understand how the rest of the cyanobacteria acquired circadian clocks, organized life cycles and evolved complex regulating mechanisms.
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