University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2017 Organellar Genome Evolution in Red Algal Parasites: Differences in Adelpho- and Alloparasites Eric Salomaki University of Rhode Island,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Salomaki, Eric, "Organellar Genome Evolution in Red Algal Parasites: Differences in Adelpho- and Alloparasites" (2017). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 614. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/614 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ORGANELLAR GENOME EVOLUTION IN RED ALGAL PARASITES: DIFFERENCES IN ADELPHO- AND ALLOPARASITES BY ERIC SALOMAKI A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2017 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF ERIC SALOMAKI APPROVED: Dissertation Committee: Major Professor Christopher E. Lane Jason Kolbe Tatiana Rynearson Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2017 ABSTRACT Parasitism is a common life strategy throughout the eukaryotic tree of life. Many devastating human pathogens, including the causative agents of malaria and toxoplasmosis, have evolved from a photosynthetic ancestor. However, how an organism transitions from a photosynthetic to a parasitic life history strategy remains mostly unknown. Parasites have independently evolved dozens of times throughout the Florideophyceae (Rhodophyta), and often infect close relatives. This framework enables direct comparisons between autotrophs and parasites to investigate the early stages of parasite evolution.