Protists, the primary source of genomic diversity in eukaryotes Authors Ramon Massana Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) Ramiro Logares Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) David López-Escardó Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) Javier del Campo Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra) Keywords: biodiversity, ecology, evolution, genomics, protists. Abstract Genomics, which unravels the DNA sequence of species, is an expanding discipline thanks to new sequencing tools. Initiatives aimed at obtaining the genomes of all living species often overlook protists, which are unicellular eukaryotes that are crucial for understanding the evolution of life and the functioning of ecosystems. In this paper we review what is known about protist genomics, often on the basis of cultured species, and present new ways to obtain the genomes of uncultured species, which represent a large part of eukaryotic diversity. We then present some examples of how protist genomics is crucial to address key issues in evolution and ecology, such as the origin of the eukaryotes, the acquisition and expansion of chloroplasts, the emergence of multicellularity, symbiotic events, the study of biogeochemical activities on the basis of functional genes, and population genetics. This paper seeks to highlight the vast diversity of protists and to underscore the fact that they should be given greater consideration in genomic studies. Downloads Download data is not yet available. Downloads PDF (Català) Issue Vol. 72 (2022) Section Articles License The intellectual property of the articles belongs to the respective authors. At the time of submitting the articles to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Biologia, authors accept the following terms: — Authors assign to the SCB (a subsidiary of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans) the rights of reproduction, public communication (including communication through social networks) and distribution of the articles submitted for publication to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Biologia, in any form and medium, including digital platforms. The Publications Committee reserves the right to accept or refuse submitted articles and the right to make any editorial changes it deems appropriate. If the suggested changes are accepted by authors, they should re-submit the article with such changes. — Authors answer to the SCB for the authorship and originality of submitted articles. In other words, authors assure that submitted articles do not contain fragments of works by other authors or fragments of their own previously published works; that the content of articles is original, and that the copyright of third parties is not infringed upon. Authors accept this responsibility and undertake to hold harmless the SCB for any loss or damage resulting from non-compliance with this obligation. Furthermore, they should include a statement in articles submitted to the journal regarding their responsibility for the content of the articles. — Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the reproduction of all graphic material included in articles, and they should moreover ensure that images, videos, etc., have been created with the consent of the individuals appearing in them, and that material belonging to third parties is clearly identified and acknowledged as such within the text. Likewise, authors should provide the respective consents and authorisations to the SCB when submitting articles. — The SCB is exempt from any liability arising from the possible infringement of intellectual property rights by authors. In all cases, it undertakes to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies, if necessary. — Unless otherwise stated in the text or in the graphic material, the contents published in the journal are subject to an Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Spain (by-nc-nd) license from Creative Commons, the full text of which may be consulted at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/deed.en. Therefore, the general public is authorised to reproduce, distribute and communicate articles as long as their authorship and publishing entity are acknowledged, and no commercial use is made of them nor derivative work produced from them. — The journal is not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the authors of published articles.
