Horizontal gene transfer is accepted as an important evolutionary force modulating the
evolution of prokaryote genomes. However, it is thought that horizontal gene transfer plays …

Recent progress in understanding the origins of plastids from endosymbiotic cyanobacteria
is reviewed. Establishing when during geological time the endosymbiosis occurred remains …

Plastid endosymbiosis has been a major force in the evolution of eukaryotic cellular
complexity, but how endosymbionts are integrated is still poorly understood at a mechanistic …

The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot for photosynthetic sea slugs, with about 27
described species in the genus Elysia Risso, 1818. However, many species are poorly …

The sea slug Elysia chlorotica offers a unique opportunity to study the evolution of a novel
function (photosynthesis) in a complex multicellular host. Elysia chlorotica harvests plastids …

To date, sea slugs have been considered the only animals known to sequester functional
algal plastids into their own cells, via a process called “kleptoplasty.” We report here …

Elysia chlorotica, a sacoglossan sea slug found off the East Coast of the United States, is
well-known for its ability to sequester chloroplasts from its algal prey and survive by …

DNA barcoding can highlight taxa in which conventional taxonomy underestimates species
richness, identifying mitochondrial lineages that may correspond to unrecognized species …

Mendelian inheritance transfers genes vertically within lineages, whereas horizontal gene
transfer (HGT) moves genetic material between or among lineages. Herein, we explore …

Abstract Pulmonates, with over 30,000 described species, represent the largest radiation of
non-marine animals outside of Arthropoda. The pulmonate lung was a key evolutionary …