Evolving Algae

We published a recent review on the “Evolutionary Origin of a Terrestrial Flora” in Current Biology. It is a part of a special issue on the History of Life on Earth. It walks through a general overview of morphological and physiological transitions in the movement from charophyte green algae to a terrestrial flora. I had originally… Continue reading Origin of Land Plants →

I received this query from a high school student: I currently am in high school at [a good school] and I’m very interested in science. In my biology class, I was learning about how chloroplasts and mitochondria have cell membranes, the only organelles to do so in the current eukaryotic cell. I was thinking about… Continue reading Transient or Cryptic Organelles →

I took some students out to our local lake, Lake Artemesia, and did a couple of plankton tows and a “weed squeeze”. While looking at the samples I took this micrograph and then realized after the fact that it encapsulates much of plastid evolution in one photo. The filament on the left is Mougeotia, a member… Continue reading Plastid Evolution in One Photo →

The Phycological Society of America (PSA) will hold its annual meeting this August 9-13 in Philadelphia. See PSAalgae.org for more information.

Our paper on the conservation of Ethylene , a key plant stress hormone, which turns out to be functional in the charophyte green alga Spirogyra, appeared in the first week of January 2015. It was the result of a complex collaboration with my colleague Caren Chang, and the efforts of five talented undergraduates, graduates, and… Continue reading Conservation of Ethylene as a Plant Hormone over 450 Million Years of Evolution →