Mw. Fawley et Ma. Buchheim, LOROXANTHIN, A PHYLOGENETICALLY USEFUL CHARACTER IN CHLAMYDOMONAS ANDOTHER CHLOROPHYCEAN FLAGELLATES, Journal of phycology, 31(4), 1995, pp. 664-667
The distribution of loroxanthin in chlorophycean flagellates is consis
tent with their phylogeny as inferred from molecular and organismal ch
aracters. Although polarity of this character cannot yet be determined
, if the absence of loroxanthin is plesiomorphic for chlorophycean fla
gellates, the presence of loroxanthin defines a clade that includes th
e Euchlamydomonas morphological group, two other species of Chlamydomo
nas, C, asymmetrica and C. oblonga, and Gonium pectorale. A subsequent
reversal to loroxanthin absence is apomorphic for the more complex vo
lvocacean taxa. These results suggest that loroxanthin distribution wi
ll be useful for resolving phylogenetic questions in green algae.