The Tree of Life Project Root Page

Life

     ,===== Eubacteria  ("True bacteria", mitochondria, and chloroplasts) 
     |
     |===== Euryarchaeota  (Methanogens, Halophiles, and relatives) 
=====|
     |===== Crenarchaeota-Eocytes  (Sulfolobus and relatives) 
     |
     `===== Eukaryotes  (Protists, Plants, Fungi, Animals, etc.) 

       ?=== Viruses 

Table of Contents

Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships

References

The "archaea tree":

     ,=============== Eubacteria
     |
     |            ,== Euryarchaeota
=====|  ,=Archaea=|
     `==|         `== Crenarchaeota-Eocytes
        |
        `============ Eukaryotes

     ,======== Eubacteria
     |
     |  ,===== Euryarchaeota
=====|  |
     `==|  ,== Crenarchaeota-Eocytes
        `==|
           `== Eukaryotes

References

Benachenhou, L. N., P. Forterre and B. Labedan. 1993. Evolution 
          of glutamate dehydrogenase genes: Evidence for two 
          paralogous protein families and unusual branching patterns 
          of the archaebacteria in the universal tree of life. 
          Journal Of Molecular Evolution 36(4): 335-346.

Cammarano, P., P. Palm, R. Creti, E. Ceccarelli, A. M. Sanangelantoni 
          and O. Tiboni. 1992. Early evolutionary relationships 
          among known life forms inferred from elongation factor 
          EF-2/EF-G sequences: Phylogenetic coherence and structure 
          of the Archaeal domain. Journal Of Molecular Evolution 
          34(5): 396-405.

Creti, R., E. Ceccarelli, M. Bocchetta, A. M. Sanangelantoni, 
          O. Tiboni, P. Palm and P. Cammarano. 1994. Evolution 
          of translational elongation factor (EF) sequences: 
          Reliability of global phylogenies inferred from EF-1-alpha(Tu) 
          and EF-2(G) proteins. Proceedings of the National Academy 
          of Sciences of the United States of America 91(8): 
          3255-3259.

Gogarten, J. P. and L. Taiz. 1992. Evolution of proton pumping 
          ATPases: Rooting the tree of life. Photosynthesis Research 
          33(2): 137-146.

Gouy, M. and W.-H. Li. 1989. Phylogenetic analysis based on rRNA 
          sequences supports the archaebacterial rather than 
          the eocyte tree. Nature 339: 145-147.

Gouy, M. and W.-H. Li. 1990. Archaebacterial or eocyte tree? 
          Nature 343: 419.

Gupta, R. S. and G. B. Golding. 1993. Evolution of HSP70 gene 
          and its implications regarding relationships between 
          archaebacteria, eubacteria, and eukaryotes. Journal 
          of Molecular Evolution 37(6): 573-582.

Hilario, E. and J. P. Gogarten. 1993. Horizontal transfer of 
          ATPase genes: The tree of life becomes a net of life. 
          Biosystems 31(2-3): 111-119.

Iwabe, N., K.-I. Kuma, M. Hagesawa, S. Osawa, T. Miyata.  1989. 
          Evolutionary relationship of archaebacteria, eubacteria, 
          and eukaryotes inferred from phylogenetic trees of 
          duplicated genes.  Proceedings of the Natural Academy 
          of Sciences (USA), 86:9355-9359.

Kandler, O. 1994. Cell wall biochemistry and three-domain concept 
          of life. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 16(4): 
          501-509.

Lake, J.A., E. Henderson, M. Oakes, M.W. Clark. 1984.  Eocytes: 
          a new ribosome structure indicates a kingdom with close 
          relationship to eukaryotes.  Proceedings of the Natural 
          Academy of Sciences (USA), 81:3786-3790.

Lake, J. A., M. W. Clark, E. Hendeson, S. P. Fay, M. Oakes, A. 
          Scheinman, J. P. Thornber and R. A. Mah. 1985. Eubacteria, 
          halobacteria and the origin of photosynthesis: The 
          photocytes. Proceedings of the National Academy of 
          Sciences (USA) 82(11): 3716-3720.

Lake, J. A. 1990. Archaebacterial or eocyte tree? Nature 343: 
          383-419.

Liao, D. and P. P. Dennis. 1994. Molecular phylogenies based 
          on ribosomal protein L11, L1, L10, and L12 sequences. 
          Journal of Molecular Evolution 38(4): 405-419.

Woese, C.R., O. Kandler, and M.L. Wheelis.  1990.  Towards a 
          natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains 
          Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya.  Proceedings of the 
          Natural Academy of Sciences (USA), 87:4576-4579.

Wolters, J. and V. A. Erdmann. 1986. Cladistic analysis of 5S 
          rRNA and 16S rRNA secondary and primary structure -- 
          the evolution of eukaryotes and their relation to Archaebacteria. 
          Jour. Molec. Evol. 24: 152-166.

About this page

Wayne P. Maddison
Department of Entomology
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721 U.S.A.

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to David R. Maddison, at tree@phylogeny.arizona.edu.

Page copyright © 1995 David R. Maddison and Wayne P. Maddison
Last modified 4 February 1996

Title Illustration

• Fischerella (Eubacteria, Cyanobacteria). Photograph copyright © 1995, Susan M. Barns.
• Blister beetle (Eukaryotes, Coleoptera) on a composite flower (Eukaryotes, Asteraceae). Photograph copyright © 1995, David R. Maddison.