New species formed by merging two species.

[shunyadragon]

Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event

Last time this happened, Earth got plants.

newatlas.com

Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event​

By Michael Irving
April 18, 2024

The algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii has been found to have absorbed a cyanobacteria called UCYN-A, which may be a huge step forward for evolution
Tyler Coale
VIEW 4 IMAGES

VIEW GALLERY - 4 IMAGES

Last time this happened, Earth got plants.​

Scientists have caught a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event in progress, as two lifeforms have merged into one organism that boasts abilities its peers would envy. Last time this happened, Earth got plants.

The phenomenon is called primary endosymbiosis, and it occurs when one microbial organism engulfs another, and starts using it like an internal organ. In exchange, the host cell provides nutrients, energy, protection and other benefits to the symbiote, until eventually it can no longer survive on its own and essentially ends up becoming an organ for the host – or what’s known as an organelle in microbial cells.

National Human Genome Research Institute

In the 4-billion-odd-year history of life on Earth, primary endosymbiosis is thought to have only happened twice that we know of, and each time was a massive breakthrough for evolution. The first occurred about 2.2 billion years ago, when an archaea swallowed a bacterium that became the mitochondria. This specialized energy-producing organelle allowed for basically all complex forms of life to evolve. It remains the heralded "powerhouse of the cell" to this day.

The second time happened about 1.6 billion years ago, when some of these more advanced cells absorbed cyanobacteria that could harvest energy from sunlight. These became organelles called chloroplasts, which gave sunlight-harvesting abilities, as well as a fetching green color, to a group of lifeforms you might have heard of – plants.
https://newatlas.com/biology/life-merger-evolution-symbiosis-organelle/#gallery:3
that it’s happening again. A species of algae called Braarudosphaera bigelowii was found to have engulfed a cyanobacterium that lets them do something that algae, and plants in general, can’t normally do – "fixing" nitrogen straight from the air, and combining it with other elements to create more useful compounds.
Nitrogen is a key nutrient, and normally plants and algae get theirs through symbiotic relationships with bacteria that remain separate. At first it was thought that B. bigelowii had hooked up this kind of situation with a bacterium called UCYN-A, but on closer inspection, scientists discovered that the two have gotten far more intimate.
In one recent study, a team found that the size ratio between the algae and UCYN-A stays similar across different related species of the algae. Their growth appears to be controlled by the exchange of nutrients, leading to linked metabolisms.
“That’s exactly what happens with organelles,” said Jonathan Zehr, an author of the studies. “If you look at the mitochondria and the chloroplast, it’s the same thing: they scale with the cell.”

In a follow-up study, the team and other collaborators used a powerful X-ray imaging technique to view the interior of the living algae cells. This revealed that the replication and cell division was synchronized between the host and symbiote – more evidence of primary endosymbiosis at work.
https://newatlas.com/biology/life-merger-evolution-symbiosis-organelle/#gallery:2

 

[ChristineM]

Last time this happened, Earth got plants.

That we know of.

 

[Eddi]

Fascinating

 

[shunyadragon]

That we know of.

What is significant about this is that is it documents the event, Based on the evidence It has been well accepted that this has occurred. in particular in the very early evolution of life.

 

[ChristineM]

What is significant about this is that is it documents the event, Based on the evidence It has been well accepted that this has occurred. in particular in the very early evolution of life.

I agree, observed makes all the difference.
However it is possible that it may be a quite common occurrence in nature.

 

[Brian2]

That we know of.

That seems to be what scientists guess may have happened.

 

[Brian2]

What is significant about this is that is it documents the event, Based on the evidence It has been well accepted that this has occurred. in particular in the very early evolution of life.

Is it just presumed that what happened has resulted in a new species with new, or is this known?

 

[shunyadragon]

Is it just presumed that what happened has resulted in a new species with new, or is this known?

It is known. The genetics are from two distinct different species that are known to exist independently

 

[shunyadragon]

No, it is not a guess, see post #8

 

[ChristineM]

That seems to be what scientists guess may have happened.

In this case it was observed, 'that we know of' is my guess that it may have happened often without being observed

 

[Daemon Sophic]

I think that it should be made clear, reading further into the article, that this algae and cyanobacterium have been rooming up together for roughly 100,000,000 years now. (The blink of an eye on evolutionary terms )

This article discusses that the scientists have been able to note that the little cyanobacterium that was absorbed by the species of algae so many years ago, has been progressively losing some of its DNA which it formerly used to gather nutrients it needed. And now it relies on its mother algae to give it those nutrients. In return, the little bacterium gives the algae the ability to fix nitrogen straight from the air. This step, in becoming more and more dependent on its host, is what separates an endosymbient from an organelle.

When they say it’s happening “right now“, they mean within the last half of 1 billion years. Not that they watched the algae swallow a cyanobacterium and then watched it give up part of its DNA.

Very cool stuff @shunyadragon ! Thank you for sharing!

 

[Brian2]

In this case it was observed, 'that we know of' is my guess that it may have happened often without being observed

The article says that it began to evolve about 100 million years ago. That is hardly being observed.
But yes, that sort of symbiotic relationship may be seen to have developed many more times in nature.

 

[ChristineM]

The article says that it began to evolve about 100 million years ago. That is hardly being observed.
But yes, that sort of symbiotic relationship may be seen to have developed many more times in nature.

You obviously have not understood the article
One species absorbing another species and evolving to utilise the absorbed species as an organ was observed under laboratory conditions

 

[Brian2]

You obviously have not understood the article
One species absorbing another species and evolving to utilise the absorbed species as an organ was observed under laboratory conditions

My understanding is that this process of absorption and being united into one living thing is part of the evolution process and that this example probably took 100 million years and has just now been noticed to have happened by scientists.

 

[ChristineM]

My understanding is that this process of absorption and being united into one living thing is part of the evolution process and that this example probably took 100 million years and has just now been noticed to have happened by scientists.

Your understanding is not relevant, the laboratory observation is what thos thread is about

 

[shunyadragon]

My understanding is that this process of absorption and being united into one living thing is part of the evolution process and that this example probably took 100 million years and has just now been noticed to have happened by scientists.

The underlying problem is your hostility toward the sciences of evolution. Your antagonistic of one recently documented evidence reflects your ancient tribal agenda, and your lack of knowledge of science. The current direct observation demonstrate the merging of two distinct species over time. There is far more evidence for this involving the origins of organelles in cells, and other evidence of the origin of eyes from light sensitive cells that evolve to eyes not even considered in this thread..

 

[Brian2]

Brian2 said: My understanding is that this process of absorption and being united into one living thing is part of the evolution process and that this example probably took 100 million years and has just now been noticed to have happened by scientists.

The underlying problem is your hostility toward the sciences of evolution. Your antagonistic of one recently documented evidence reflects your ancient tribal agenda, and your lack of knowledge of science. The current direct observation demonstrate the merging of two distinct species over time. There is far more evidence for this involving the origins of organelles in cells, and other evidence of the origin of eyes from light sensitive cells that evolve to eyes not even considered in this thread..

So what is your understanding of the article?
You say "The current direct observation demonstrate the merging of two distinct species over time." Does this mean that you agree that the article is saying that the merging of the 2 distinct species took about 100 million years, or are you saying that the article gives a different time frame?

 

[Brian2]

Your understanding is not relevant, the laboratory observation is what thos thread is about

What the article tells us is what is relevant. Articles like this are notorious for giving the wrong impression about what the real science is.
The article says "Scientists have caught a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event in progress, as two lifeforms have merged into one organism that boasts abilities its peers would envy." in the first sentence and goes on to say, close to the end, "Altogether, the team says this indicates UCYN-A is a full organelle, which is given the name of nitroplast. It appears that this began to evolve around 100 million years ago, which sounds like an incredibly long time but is a blink of an eye compared to mitochondria and chloroplasts."
The question is, "What has been observed?"
There is nothing in the article about scientists seeing the 2 species merge.
The scientists say they have identified 2 species in the one, and that the functioning of the 2 species have been altered to reflect the 2 becoming one species, that divides and functions as one species instead of as 2 species in a symbiotic relationship.

 

[shunyadragon]

Brian2 said: My understanding is that this process of absorption and being united into one living thing is part of the evolution process and that this example probably took 100 million years and has just now been noticed to have happened by scientists.



So what is your understanding of the article?
You say "The current direct observation demonstrate the merging of two distinct species over time." Does this mean that you agree that the article is saying that the merging of the 2 distinct species took about 100 million years, or are you saying that the article gives a different time frame?

I do not consider dialogue as fruitful with you. That is why I will hold off on any further discussion.

The underlying problem is your hostility toward the sciences of evolution. Your antagonistic of one recently documented evidence reflects your ancient tribal agenda, and your lack of knowledge of science. The current direct observation demonstrate the merging of two distinct species over time. There is far more evidence for this involving the origins of organelles in cells, and other evidence of the origin of eyes from light sensitive cells that evolve to eyes not even considered in this thread..

The article reported it happening. primary endosymbiosis, multiple times. This third time scientists can see it happening today as distinct generics are in the process of merging.

In one recent study, a team found that the size ratio between the algae and UCYN-A stays similar across different related species of the algae. Their growth appears to be controlled by the exchange of nutrients, leading to linked metabolisms.

“That’s exactly what happens with organelles,” said Jonathan Zehr, an author of the studies. “If you look at the mitochondria and the chloroplast, it’s the same thing: they scale with the cell.”

In a follow-up study, the team and other collaborators used a powerful X-ray imaging technique to view the interior of the living algae cells. This revealed that the replication and cell division was synchronized between the host and symbiote – more evidence of primary endosymbiosis at work.
Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event

Again . . . discussion remain eternally fruitless with, because of your attitude towards science.

 

[Pogo]

What the article tells us is what is relevant. Articles like this are notorious for giving the wrong impression about what the real science is.
The article says "Scientists have caught a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event in progress, as two lifeforms have merged into one organism that boasts abilities its peers would envy." in the first sentence and goes on to say, close to the end, "Altogether, the team says this indicates UCYN-A is a full organelle, which is given the name of nitroplast. It appears that this began to evolve around 100 million years ago, which sounds like an incredibly long time but is a blink of an eye compared to mitochondria and chloroplasts."
The question is, "What has been observed?"
There is nothing in the article about scientists seeing the 2 species merge.
The scientists say they have identified 2 species in the one, and that the functioning of the 2 species have been altered to reflect the 2 becoming one species, that divides and functions as one species instead of as 2 species in a symbiotic relationship.

Discovery of an Endosymbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing ...​

Link to the actual paper from 2013