Contrary to the most widely accepted phylogenetic hypothesis

Contrary to the most widely accepted phylogenetic hypothesis, you will note that the representative species of Glaucophytes do not group as expected with the Green algae and the Red algae in our tree. Recall that our phylogeny is based on sequences from a single gene. What could you do to resolve this conflict?

Solution

Glaucophytes are freshwater microscopic algae. They have a special type of chloroplast known as cyanoplast, which has a peptidoglycan layer surrounding it.

The monophyletic origin of Plantae is supported due to use of a large amount of protein sequences. However this data is insufficient when it comes to placing glaucophytes alogwith red and green algae. The issue can be resolved through analysis of more genes of the three plant groups.