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Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

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Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
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Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes02:16

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The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...
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Genomics02:02

Genomics

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Genomics is the science of genomes: it is the study of all the genetic material of an organism. In humans, the genome consists of information carried in 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus, as well as mitochondrial DNA. In genomics, both coding and non-coding DNA is sequenced and analyzed. Genomics allows a better understanding of all living things, their evolution, and their diversity. It has a myriad of uses: for example, to build phylogenetic trees, to improve productivity and...
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Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
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Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

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While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
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Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes00:46

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The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Appetitive Associative Olfactory Learning in Drosophila Larvae
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Genome of tiny predator with big appetite.

Geoffrey Ian McFadden1

  • 1School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia. gim@unimelb.edu.au.

BMC Biology
|November 29, 2018
PubMed
Summary

Predatory single-celled organisms captured red algae for photosynthesis, driving early eukaryotic evolution. A new genome reveals how these predators enslaved algae, forming new photosynthetic lineages.

Area of Science:

  • Eukaryotic evolution
  • Endosymbiosis
  • Photosynthesis

Background:

  • The acquisition of photosynthesis via endosymbiosis was crucial for eukaryotic diversification.
  • Unicellular predators capturing eukaryotic algae played a significant role in early evolution.
  • Red algae represent a key lineage involved in primary endosymbiotic events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genomic basis of algal capture and enslavement by predatory eukaryotes.
  • To understand the evolutionary mechanisms behind the formation of new photosynthetic lineages.
  • To provide insights into the predator-prey dynamics during early eukaryotic evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Genome sequencing of a predatory unicellular organism.
  • Comparative genomics to identify genes involved in host-prey interactions.

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  • Phylogenetic analysis to reconstruct evolutionary relationships.
  • Main Results:

    • The study presents a genome that offers insights into the predatory capabilities of unicellular organisms.
    • Evidence suggests the predator actively detained red algae for photosynthetic benefit.
    • The genomic data supports the hypothesis of enslavement leading to new lineages.

    Conclusions:

    • The genomic analysis provides a molecular perspective on how early eukaryotes acquired photosynthesis through predation.
    • This event of algal capture and enslavement was a major evolutionary innovation.
    • The findings illuminate the complex evolutionary pathways that led to photosynthetic eukaryotes.