Question

A scientist sequences the genome of Chara, red algae, and a tomato plant. What result would support the conclusion that Charophytes should be included in the Plantae kingdom?

a) Presence of chlorophyll a
b) Lack of multicellular gametangia
c) Shared gene sequences with red algae and tomato plant
d) Absence of cell walls

Answer 1

To support Charophytes being part of the Plantae kingdom, the Chara genome should be more similar to the tomato plant, a land plant, than to red algae. This reflects shared evolutionary traits between Charophytes and land plants, such as cell division mechanisms and photosynthetic pigments.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around the genomic sequencing of Chara, red algae, and a tomato plant to determine Charophyte placement in the Plantae kingdom. To support the inclusion of Charophytes in Plantae, one would expect their genome to be more similar to that of land plants like the tomato plant rather than to other types of algae. Therefore, the most supportive result would be:

• The Chara genome is more similar to the tomato plant genome than the red algae genome.

This outcome is consistent with the characteristics of Charophytes that align with those of land plants, such as cell division mechanisms, biochemical pathways, and the presence of cellulose cell walls and chlorophyll a and b. These traits are distinct from other types of algae, further affirming the kinship between Charophytes and land plants. As many modern treatments of taxonomy no longer primarily rely on the Kingdom level and place greater emphasis on shared evolutionary history, this genomic similarity is a significant piece of evidence in classifying Charophytes alongside land plants within the Streptophyta.