Eukaryotic Evolution Lab Report

The evolutionary relationships among cyanobacteria, red algae, brown algae, green algae, and flowering plants, observed from the results their photosynthetic pigment patterns using thin layer chromatography technique
Introduction
Endosymbiosis is a process where unicellular organisms engulf other cells resulting a life form that one or both cells are dependent on each other (Campbell et al., 2008). Strong evidence suggests that different types of photosynthetic cyanobacteria underwent endosymbiosis that evolved into different types of photosynthetic eukaryotes (Biology 108 Lab Manual 2012). During eukaryotic evolution, red algae and green algae led to five supergroups of eukaryotes through a process of secondary endosymbiosis (Campbell et al., 2008). Three basic photosynthetic pigments: chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phycobilins, each absorb light at different wavelengths due to different colors and different
Symbiosis occurred between eukaryotes and cyanobacteria that lead eukaryotic organelles to evolve through endosymbiosis. Cyanobacteria and red algae shares recent common ancestor because red algae evolved from cyanobacteria in their separated line (Biology Lab Manuel 2012). Different organisms are able to photosynthesize better than other organisms in darker area because accessory pigments allow some species to absorb filtered wavelength in deep water (Biology Lab Manuel 2012). They differ in solubility of water and polarity because of their chemical structures. Plants ands green algae share a recent common ancestor because of the genetic similarities of chloroplasts in both species (Campbell et al., 2008). These photosynthetic pigments are important in the part of biology of algae, cyanobacteria, and plants that reveals the evolutionary relationships between the two and other photosynthetic organisms (Biology Lab Manual