Paramecium - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Protozoologie / German ...

The Syndinea, a little explored group within the Alveolates
Kristina Hamilton
Royal Holloway (University of London)
The Syndinea, also known as the Alveolate Group II, comprise of
parasitic genera (Amoebophrya, Hematodinium and Syndinium) and
picoplankton from the aphotic zone. The Sydninea are regarded as a
key group in understanding protist evolution as some of their morphology
and gene sequences are highly similar to that of dinokaryotes,
perkinsids and even apicomplexans. Depending on the gene
and method used for phylogentic analyses the Syndinea are placed
ancestral, or as a sister clade, to the dinokaryotes or the perkinsids.
Further, tree topology within the Syndinea suggests that this group
may be as genetically diverse as apicomplexans and ciliates, with the
genus Amoebophrya being distantly related to Hematodinium and
Syndinium. To date, ultrastructural studies of this enigmatic group of
alveolates have been restricted to the three parasitic genera, with most
observations reported from the crustacean parasite Hematodinium.
This poster provides an insight into our knowledge of the Syndinea
by comparing structural characteristics and phylogenetic analyses.
km.h@gmx.net
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