Photosystem II is the water-oxidizing and O2-evolving enzyme of photosynthesis. How and
when this remarkable enzyme arose are fundamental questions in the history of life that …

Phytoplankton are key players in the global carbon cycle, contributing about half of global
primary productivity. Within the phytoplankton, functional groups (characterized by distinct …

While our knowledge about the roles of microbes and viruses in the ocean has increased
tremendously due to recent advances in genomics and metagenomics, research on marine …

Despite half a century of research, the biology of dinoflagellates remains enigmatic: they
defy many functional and genetic traits attributed to typical eukaryotic cells. Genomic …

Background Dinoflagellates are known for their capacity to form harmful blooms (eg," red
tides") and as symbiotic, photosynthetic partners for corals. These unicellular eukaryotes …

Assembling the global eukaryotic tree of life has long been a major effort of Biology. In
recent years, pushed by the new availability of genome-scale data for microbial eukaryotes …

Background Dinoflagellates in the family Symbiodiniaceae are important photosynthetic
symbionts in cnidarians (such as corals) and other coral reef organisms. Breakdown of the …

The small subunit 18S rRNA (18S) gene is the most commonly used marker for taxonomic
identification in eukaryotes. However, protists may harbor substantial variation in their 18S …

Dinoflagellates are main primary producers in the oceans, the cause of algal blooms and
endosymbionts of marine invertebrates. Much remains to be understood about their biology …

Cytosine DNA methylation (5mC) is a widespread base modification in eukaryotic genomes
with critical roles in transcriptional regulation. In recent years, our understanding of 5mC has …