Breviatea

Breviatea
Breviata anathema
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Amorphea
Clade: Obazoa
Class: Breviatea
Cavalier-Smith, 2004[2]
Order: Breviatida
Cavalier-Smith, 2004[2]
Family: Breviatidae
Cavalier-Smith, 2013[1]
Genera
Diversity
4 species

Breviatea, commonly known as breviate amoebae,[3] are a group of free-living, amitochondriate protists with uncertain phylogenetic position.[4] They are biflagellate, and can live in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments.[4][3][5] They are currently placed in the Obazoa clade.[6] They likely do not possess vinculin proteins.[6] Their metabolism relies on fermentative production of ATP as an adaptation to their low-oxygen environment.[4]

The lineage emerged roughly one billion years ago, at a time when the oxygen content of the Earth's oceans was low, and they thus developed anaerobic lifestyles. Together with Apusomonads, they are the closest relatives of the Opisthokonts, a group that includes animals and fungi.[3][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cavalier-Smith et al. 2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CavSmith et al 2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Brown 2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Hamann_2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Modern Soil Biology 3rd was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Kang 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hydrogenosomes and Mitosomes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).