Plastid Origin and Evolution: New Models Provide Insights into Old Problems

Algae are defined by their photosynthetic organelles (plastids) that have had multiple independent origins in different phyla. These instances of organelle transfer significantly complicate inference of the tree of life for eukaryotes because the intracellular gene transfer (endosymbiotic gene transfer [EGT]) associated with each round of endosymbiosis generates highly chimeric algal nuclear genomes. In this Update we review the current state in...