Streptophyta (), informally the streptophytes (, from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
''strepto'' 'twisted', for the morphology of the sperm of some members), is a
clade
In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
of
plant
Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...
s. The composition of the clade varies considerably between authors, but the definition employed here includes land plants and all green algae except the
Chlorophyta
Chlorophyta is a division of green algae informally called chlorophytes.
Description
Chlorophytes are eukaryotic organisms composed of cells with a variety of coverings or walls, and usually a single green chloroplast in each cell. They are ...
and the more basal
Prasinodermophyta.
Classifications
The composition of Streptophyta and similar groups (Streptophytina,
Charophyta
Charophyta () is a paraphyletic group of freshwater green algae, called charophytes (), sometimes treated as a division, yet also as a superdivision. The terrestrial plants, the Embryophyta emerged deep within Charophyta, possibly from terres ...
) varies in each classification. Some authors include only the Charales and Embryophyta (e.g., Streptophyta,
[ Streptophyta,][ Charophyceae, Streptophycophytes).
The clade Streptophyta includes both unicellular and multicellular organisms. Streptophyta contains the freshwater charophyte green algae and all land plants that reproduce sexually by conjugation. ''Mesostigma viride'', a unicellular green flagellate alga may be a basal Streptophyte.]Zygnemophyceae
Zygnematophyceae (or Conjugatophyceae) is a class of green algae in the paraphylum streptophyte algae, also referred to as Charophyta, consisting of more than 4000 described species. The Zygnematophyceae are the sister clade of the Embryophyta (l ...
appear to have emerged in the Charophyceae + Embryophyta
The embryophytes () are a clade of plants, also known as Embryophyta (Plantae ''sensu strictissimo'') () or land plants. They are the most familiar group of photoautotrophs that make up the vegetation on Earth's dry lands and wetlands. Embryophy ...
clade, resulting in the synonymy of the Phragmoplastophyta and Streptophytina/Streptophyta sensu stricto (a.k.a. Adl 2012[) nomenclature.
]
Jeffrey, 1967
* Streptophyta
** Charales
Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus '' Nitellopsis'', living (extant) species are placed into either one family ( ...
** Embryophyta
The embryophytes () are a clade of plants, also known as Embryophyta (Plantae ''sensu strictissimo'') () or land plants. They are the most familiar group of photoautotrophs that make up the vegetation on Earth's dry lands and wetlands. Embryophy ...
Lewis & McCourt 2004
* Division Charophyta
Charophyta () is a paraphyletic group of freshwater green algae, called charophytes (), sometimes treated as a division, yet also as a superdivision. The terrestrial plants, the Embryophyta emerged deep within Charophyta, possibly from terres ...
(charophyte algae and embryophytes)
** Class Mesostigmatophyceae
The Mesostigmatophyceae are a class of basal green algae found in freshwater. In a narrow circumscription, the class contains a single genus, '' Mesostigma''. AlgaeBase
AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of a ...
(mesostigmatophytes)
** Class Chlorokybophyceae (chlorokybophytes)
** Class Klebsormidiophyceae (klebsormidiophytes)
** Class Zygnemophyceae
Zygnematophyceae (or Conjugatophyceae) is a class of green algae in the paraphylum streptophyte algae, also referred to as Charophyta, consisting of more than 4000 described species. The Zygnematophyceae are the sister clade of the Embryophyta (l ...
(conjugates)
*** Order Zygnematales (filamentous conjugates and saccoderm desmids)
*** Order Desmidiales
Desmidiales, commonly called the desmids (''Gr.'' ''desmos'', bond or chain), are an order in the Charophyta, a division of green algae in which the land plants ( Embryophyta) emerged. Desmids consist of single-celled (sometimes filamentous or ...
(placoderm desmids)
** Class Coleochaetophyceae (coleochaetophytes)
*** Order Coleochaetales
** Subdivision Streptophytina
*** Class Charophyceae (same as the Smith system, 1938)
**** Order Charales
Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus '' Nitellopsis'', living (extant) species are placed into either one family ( ...
(charophytes sensu stricto)
*** Class Embryophyceae (embryophytes)
Leliaert ''et al''. 2012[ ]
*Streptophyta
** charophytes
***Mesostigmatophyceae
The Mesostigmatophyceae are a class of basal green algae found in freshwater. In a narrow circumscription, the class contains a single genus, '' Mesostigma''. AlgaeBase
AlgaeBase is a global species database of information on all groups of a ...
*** Chlorokybophyceae
*** Klebsormidiophyceae
*** Charophyceae
*** Zygnematophyceae
*** Coleochaetophyceae
**Embryophyta
The embryophytes () are a clade of plants, also known as Embryophyta (Plantae ''sensu strictissimo'') () or land plants. They are the most familiar group of photoautotrophs that make up the vegetation on Earth's dry lands and wetlands. Embryophy ...
(land plants)
Adl ''et al''. 2012
* Archaeplastida
The Archaeplastida (or kingdom Plantae '' sensu lato'' "in a broad sense"; pronounced ) are a major group of eukaryotes, comprising the photoautotrophic red algae (Rhodophyta), green algae, land plants, and the minor group glaucophytes. It als ...
Adl et al. 2005
** Chloroplastida Adl et al. 2005 (Viridiplantae
Viridiplantae (; kingdom Plantae '' sensu stricto'') is a clade of around 450,000–500,000 species of eukaryotic organisms, most of which obtain their energy by photosynthesis. The green plants are chloroplast-bearing autotrophs that play impo ...
Cavalier-Smith 1981)
*** Chlorophyta
Chlorophyta is a division of green algae informally called chlorophytes.
Description
Chlorophytes are eukaryotic organisms composed of cells with a variety of coverings or walls, and usually a single green chloroplast in each cell. They are ...
Pascher 1914, emend. Lewis & McCourt 2004Charophyta
Charophyta () is a paraphyletic group of freshwater green algae, called charophytes (), sometimes treated as a division, yet also as a superdivision. The terrestrial plants, the Embryophyta emerged deep within Charophyta, possibly from terres ...
Migula 1897, emend. Karol et al. 2009 ( Charophyceae Smith 1938, Mattox & Stewart 1984)
**** '' Chlorokybus'' Geitler 1942
**** '' Mesostigma'' Lauterborn 1894
**** Klebsormidiophyceae van den Hoek et al. 1995
**** Phragmoplastophyta Lecointre & Guyander 2006
***** Zygnematophyceae van den Hoek et al. 1995, emend. Hall et al. 2009
***** Coleochaetophyceae Jeffrey 1982
***** Streptophyta Jeffrey 1967[
****** Charophyceae Smith 1938, emend. Karol et al. 2009 (]Charales
Charales is an order of freshwater green algae in the division Charophyta, class Charophyceae, commonly known as stoneworts. Depending on the treatment of the genus '' Nitellopsis'', living (extant) species are placed into either one family ( ...
Lindley 1836; Charophytae Engler 1887)
****** Embryophyta
The embryophytes () are a clade of plants, also known as Embryophyta (Plantae ''sensu strictissimo'') () or land plants. They are the most familiar group of photoautotrophs that make up the vegetation on Earth's dry lands and wetlands. Embryophy ...
Engler 1886, emend. Lewis & McCourt 2004
Adl ''et al''. 2019
* Archaeplastida
The Archaeplastida (or kingdom Plantae '' sensu lato'' "in a broad sense"; pronounced ) are a major group of eukaryotes, comprising the photoautotrophic red algae (Rhodophyta), green algae, land plants, and the minor group glaucophytes. It als ...
Adl et al. 2005
** Chloroplastida Adl et al. 2005 (Viridiplantae
Viridiplantae (; kingdom Plantae '' sensu stricto'') is a clade of around 450,000–500,000 species of eukaryotic organisms, most of which obtain their energy by photosynthesis. The green plants are chloroplast-bearing autotrophs that play impo ...
Cavalier-Smith 1981)
*** Phylum Streptophyta [Charophyta
Charophyta () is a paraphyletic group of freshwater green algae, called charophytes (), sometimes treated as a division, yet also as a superdivision. The terrestrial plants, the Embryophyta emerged deep within Charophyta, possibly from terres ...
]
**** Chlorokybus atmophyticus
**** Mesostigma viridae
****Family Klebsomidiophyceae
**** Class Phragmoplastophyta
***** Family Zygnemataceae
***** Order Coleochaetophyceae
***** Family Characeae
***** Kingdom Embryophyta
Phylogeny
Below is a reconstruction of Streptophyta relationships, based on genomic data.
''Streptofilum'', described in 2018, appears to bring in a new branching.
References
External links
The plant tree of life: an overview and some points of view
The closest land plants relatives
{{Taxonbar, from=Q133527
Green algae
Infrakingdoms
Diaphoretickes taxa