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The Cyanidiales: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Biogeography

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Red Algae in the Genomic Age

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 13))

Abstract

The order Cyanidiales (or class Cyanidiophyceae) is comprised of asexual, unicellular red algae that are known to grow in low pH environments (0.2–3.5 or 4.0) and at moderately high temperatures (up to 56°C) and are typically found in acidic geothermal habitats throughout the Earth. No other photosynthetic microorganisms are known to inhabit this combination of conditions. The order Cyanidiales, since 1981, is thought to consist of three genera: Cyanidium, Galdieria, and Cyanidioschyzon (Ciniglia et al., 2004; Gross et al., 2001; Heilmann and Gross, 2001). This group of algae appears to be phylogenetically quite distinct from the main line of descent in the red algae and branches off quite early in geologic time (i.e. ∼ 1.3–1.4 Ga), based on phylogenetic, molecular clock inference and fossil evidence for the first reputed macroalgae, which are presumed to be ancestors of the Rhodophyta (Yoon et al., 2002, 2004, 2006b). In this chapter, we comment on the ecology, biodiversity, and biogeography of these fascinating eukaryotic extremophiles, attempting to assimilate recent, important developments in our understanding of these algae.

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Acknowledgments

Support for writing of this paper was from NSF Microbial Interactions and Processes (MCB-0702177). The unpublished sequence work of Elizabeth Perry for the Icelandic isolates is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon, 97403-5289, 5289, Eugene, Oregon, USA

    Richard W. Castenholz

  2. Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources, Environmental Sciences Montana State University, MT, 59717, Bozeman, USA

    Timothy R. McDermott

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  1. Richard W. Castenholz
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  2. Timothy R. McDermott
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Correspondence to Richard W. Castenholz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Jerusalem, Mevo Hadas 20, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

  2. Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, 93106, USA

    David J. Chapman

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Castenholz, R.W., McDermott, T.R. (2010). The Cyanidiales: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Biogeography. In: Seckbach, J., Chapman, D. (eds) Red Algae in the Genomic Age. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3795-4_19

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