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Science 23 April 2004:
Vol. 304. no. 5670, pp. 584 - 587
DOI: 10.1126/science.1096806
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Reports

The Rise of the Rhizosolenid Diatoms

Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté,1* Gerard Muyzer,1,2 Ben Abbas,1 Sebastiaan W. Rampen,1 Guillaume Massé,3 W. Guy Allard,3 Simon T. Belt,3 Jean-Michel Robert,4 Steven J. Rowland,3 J. Michael Moldowan,5 Silvana M. Barbanti,5,6 Frederick J. Fago,5 Peter Denisevich,5 Jeremy Dahl,5 Luiz A. F. Trindade,6 Stefan Schouten1

The 18S ribosomal DNA molecular phylogeny and lipid composition of over 120 marine diatoms showed that the capability to biosynthesize highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes is restricted to two specific phylogenetic clusters, which independently evolved in centric and pennate diatoms. The molecular record of C25 HBI chemical fossils in a large suite of well-dated marine sediments and petroleum revealed that the older cluster, composed of rhizosolenid diatoms, evolved 91.5 ± 1.5 million years ago (Upper Turonian), enabling an accurate dating of the pace of diatom evolution that is unprecedented. The rapid rise of the rhizosolenid diatoms probably resulted from a major reorganization of the nutrient budget in the mid-Cretaceous oceans, triggered by plate tectonics.

1 Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Post Office Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands.
2 Department of Biotechnology, Environmental Biotechnology Group, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC Delft, Netherlands.
3 Petroleum and Environmental Geochemistry Group, School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA, UK.
4 Faculté des Sciences, ISOmer, Université de Nantes, UPRES-EA 2663, 2 Rue de la Housinière, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3, France.
5 Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305–2115, USA.
6 Petrobras Research Center (CENPES), Cidade Unversitaria, Quadra 7, Ilha Fundao, Rio de Janeiro 20132–970, Brazil.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: damste{at}nioz.nl

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)