Certain species have undergone such extreme changes and adaptations that it is very difficult to reconstruct their evolutionary history. Thus, a team of zoologists from the University of Basel, in Switzerland, has discovered microbes that constitute a link between fungi and microsporidia , parasites that live in the cells of animals, including humans.
According to the expert in environmental sciences Dieter Ebert, who has coordinated the research, the finding explains how these microorganisms have evolved, of which about 1,200 species are known. These cause various diseases that affect different muscle groups and organs, from the eyes to the kidneys.
In an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , those responsible for the finding point out that until now it had been very difficult to study these microbes from a genetic point of view, since their rate of molecular evolution is very high. However, during their investigations they discovered another parasite, Mitosporidium daphniae , which had characteristics very similar to those of microsporidia.
His genetic analysis revealed, however, that it looked more like a fungus , as if it were some kind of missing link between the two. In this way, scientists have determined that Mitosporidium daphniae derives from a common ancestor to all microsporidia and that these, in turn, come from the oldest fungi.
Photo: Ronny Larsson
