The rise and fall of Picobiliphytes: How assumed autotrophs turned out to be heterotrophs

摘要: Algae are significant members of Earth’s biodiversity. Having been studied for a long time, the discovery new algal phyla is extremely unusual. Recently, enigmatic ‘Picobiliphyta’, group uncultured eukaryotes unveiled using molecular tools, were claimed to represent an unrecognized early branching lineage with nucleomorph (remnant nucleus secondary endosymbiont) in their plastids. However, subsequent studies rejected presence nucleomorph, and single-cell genomic failed detect any plastid-related genes, ruling out possibility plastid occurrence. The isolation first ‘picobiliphyte’, Picomonas judraskeda, tiny organism that feeds on very small (<150 nm) organic particles, came as final proof non-photosynthetic lifestyle. Consequently, has renamed Picozoa. passage from ‘picobiliphytes’ ‘picozoa’ illustrates crucial role classical protistology should play provide sound biological context wealth data produced by modern techniques.