Book chapter
Archaeplastida: Diversification of Red Algae and the Green Plant Lineage
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology
2016
Abstract
The Archaeplastida are one of the major evolutionary lineages of photosynthetic organisms; they include several familiar groups of red algae, or seaweeds, and all the green algae and land plants on Earth. This group is arguably the most important for animals, including humans, because the ancestors of green plants were able to invade land about a half a billion years ago and set the stage for the evolutionary colonization of land by animals. The great importance of Archaeplastida in the world's ecosystems and to human health and welfare is difficult to exaggerate. The group itself, as well as several others produced through secondary endosymbiosis, are responsible for most of the oxygen in our atmosphere. The three lineages of Archaeplastida contain many of the large algae, seaweeds, and plants that support life on Earth.
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5 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- Archaeplastida: Diversification of Red Algae and the Green Plant Lineage
- Creators
- R. McCourt - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85042741319
- Other Identifier
- 991019173518804721