Animals and Fungi are part of the same evolutionary clade called opisthokonta. They are our cousins.
January 22, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Animals and Fungi are part of the same evolutionary clade called opisthokonta. They are our cousins.
As a botany undergrad, I studied mycology. Fungi were thought of as non-green plants in the kingdom Plantae. Now, thanks to modern genetics, we know that fungi are more like very slow animals, in the clade Opisthokonta. A mushroom is closer to your dog than to a tree.
January 29, 2025 at 5:25 PM
As a botany undergrad, I studied mycology. Fungi were thought of as non-green plants in the kingdom Plantae. Now, thanks to modern genetics, we know that fungi are more like very slow animals, in the clade Opisthokonta. A mushroom is closer to your dog than to a tree.
The Opisthoknots are amazingly diverse. Studying their evolution requires a robust, resolved phylogeny, which sadly is lacking.
We devised a phylogenomic workflow to detect sources of incongruence and identifying areas in the phylogeny worth further investigation
We devised a phylogenomic workflow to detect sources of incongruence and identifying areas in the phylogeny worth further investigation
November 12, 2024 at 12:42 PM
You see, the evolutionary history of eukaryotes is a lot more complex - and a lot less centered on us big, multicellular creatures, lol
There's a bunch of divisions of eukaryotes that are approximately distant!
(Note the tree below doesn't even distinguish animals from fungi - both "opisthokonta")
There's a bunch of divisions of eukaryotes that are approximately distant!
(Note the tree below doesn't even distinguish animals from fungi - both "opisthokonta")
June 25, 2026 at 2:32 PM
You see, the evolutionary history of eukaryotes is a lot more complex - and a lot less centered on us big, multicellular creatures, lol
There's a bunch of divisions of eukaryotes that are approximately distant!
(Note the tree below doesn't even distinguish animals from fungi - both "opisthokonta")
There's a bunch of divisions of eukaryotes that are approximately distant!
(Note the tree below doesn't even distinguish animals from fungi - both "opisthokonta")
Our study on the first rhodopsin channels known to respond to UV light is now published in PNAS! And they come from our favourite protists, apusomonads! #protistonsky
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
October 14, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Our study on the first rhodopsin channels known to respond to UV light is now published in PNAS! And they come from our favourite protists, apusomonads! #protistonsky
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
Online now!!! Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels | PNAS
Apusomonads are sediment-dwelling bacterivorous protists that are sister to all Opisthokonta.
They have been found to show a negative phototactic r...
www.pnas.org
October 13, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Online now!!! Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A parasitic flagellate among the Nucleariae: a new perspective on the phylogeny of Holomycota (Opisthokonta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.21.739728v1
July 25, 2026 at 2:30 AM
A parasitic flagellate among the Nucleariae: a new perspective on the phylogeny of Holomycota (Opisthokonta) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.07.21.739728v1
single-celled protist within the Opisthokonta group
October 23, 2025 at 5:10 PM
single-celled protist within the Opisthokonta group
Even better. Would like to see that one... I point to the Opisthokonta branch and say that is you and your close relatives, the fungus.
November 24, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Even better. Would like to see that one... I point to the Opisthokonta branch and say that is you and your close relatives, the fungus.
Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels | PNAS
Apusomonads are sediment-dwelling bacterivorous protists that are sister to all Opisthokonta.
They have been found to show a negative phototactic r...
www.pnas.org
February 11, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
Misspells "Opisthokonta" too. Just not proofread at all huh.
February 21, 2026 at 3:49 AM
Misspells "Opisthokonta" too. Just not proofread at all huh.
Reminder to new users here:
Splitting fungi & plants is supported by molecular evidence. Computational phylogenetics comparing eukaryotes reveals fungi are more closely related to us than to plants. Fungi & animals form a clade called opisthokonta, named after a tail flagellum present in ancestors.
Splitting fungi & plants is supported by molecular evidence. Computational phylogenetics comparing eukaryotes reveals fungi are more closely related to us than to plants. Fungi & animals form a clade called opisthokonta, named after a tail flagellum present in ancestors.
Reminder to new users here:
Joshua trees are part of the asparagus family (as of the 2009 Angiosperm Phylogeny Group revision) and they are more closely related to cattails than they are to cactuses or oak trees
Joshua trees are part of the asparagus family (as of the 2009 Angiosperm Phylogeny Group revision) and they are more closely related to cattails than they are to cactuses or oak trees
Reminder to new users here:
Most hardback books these days have glued, rather than sewn, bindings. This means they’re basically paperbacks with hard covers. And because the covers are bigger than the book blocks, they slowly sag and pull their own spines out. Buy trade paperbacks instead.
Most hardback books these days have glued, rather than sewn, bindings. This means they’re basically paperbacks with hard covers. And because the covers are bigger than the book blocks, they slowly sag and pull their own spines out. Buy trade paperbacks instead.
February 7, 2024 at 2:04 AM
Reminder to new users here:
Splitting fungi & plants is supported by molecular evidence. Computational phylogenetics comparing eukaryotes reveals fungi are more closely related to us than to plants. Fungi & animals form a clade called opisthokonta, named after a tail flagellum present in ancestors.
Splitting fungi & plants is supported by molecular evidence. Computational phylogenetics comparing eukaryotes reveals fungi are more closely related to us than to plants. Fungi & animals form a clade called opisthokonta, named after a tail flagellum present in ancestors.
Laut Wikipedia Opisthokonta. Gerne.
Könnt aber auch was Hinterfotziges aus dem tiefsten Süden sein. Auch gerne.
Könnt aber auch was Hinterfotziges aus dem tiefsten Süden sein. Auch gerne.
January 1, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Laut Wikipedia Opisthokonta. Gerne.
Könnt aber auch was Hinterfotziges aus dem tiefsten Süden sein. Auch gerne.
Könnt aber auch was Hinterfotziges aus dem tiefsten Süden sein. Auch gerne.
This is the one I usually give in lectures. Opisthokonta is right down in the bottom right: www.nature.com/articles/nmi...
A new view of the tree of life - Nature Microbiology
An update to the ‘tree of life’ has revealed a dominance of bacterial diversity in many ecosystems and extensive evolution in some branches of the tree. It also highlights how few organisms we have be...
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:53 AM
This is the one I usually give in lectures. Opisthokonta is right down in the bottom right: www.nature.com/articles/nmi...
NEW Publication!!😄
Phylogenomic analysis of Opisthokonta (#animals, #fungi, & relatives) reveals a largely robust #phylogeny, but uncovers orthology inference methods as a major contributor of #incongruence. This study provides a robust framework for studying the #Opisthokonts
Phylogenomic analysis of Opisthokonta (#animals, #fungi, & relatives) reveals a largely robust #phylogeny, but uncovers orthology inference methods as a major contributor of #incongruence. This study provides a robust framework for studying the #Opisthokonts
September 19, 2024 at 4:40 PM
NEW Publication!!😄
Phylogenomic analysis of Opisthokonta (#animals, #fungi, & relatives) reveals a largely robust #phylogeny, but uncovers orthology inference methods as a major contributor of #incongruence. This study provides a robust framework for studying the #Opisthokonts
Phylogenomic analysis of Opisthokonta (#animals, #fungi, & relatives) reveals a largely robust #phylogeny, but uncovers orthology inference methods as a major contributor of #incongruence. This study provides a robust framework for studying the #Opisthokonts
Contributing a slide w ref from my last invert ecol class
November 24, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Contributing a slide w ref from my last invert ecol class
A taxon-rich and genome-scale phylogeny of Opisthokonta journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... #jcampubs
A taxon-rich and genome-scale phylogeny of Opisthokonta
Opisthokonta is the major lineage that includes animals, fungi, and their unicellular relatives, but some ancient divergences remain contentious. This study presents a genome-scale phylogeny and estab...
journals.plos.org
September 17, 2024 at 2:48 PM
A taxon-rich and genome-scale phylogeny of Opisthokonta journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... #jcampubs
A smartphone analogy to explore the origin of animals 🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Shows origin of both animals and smartphones was due to integration and repurposing.
This model offers testable predictions and a new theoretical framework for understanding complex biological innovation.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Shows origin of both animals and smartphones was due to integration and repurposing.
This model offers testable predictions and a new theoretical framework for understanding complex biological innovation.
February 26, 2026 at 5:30 PM
A smartphone analogy to explore the origin of animals 🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Shows origin of both animals and smartphones was due to integration and repurposing.
This model offers testable predictions and a new theoretical framework for understanding complex biological innovation.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Shows origin of both animals and smartphones was due to integration and repurposing.
This model offers testable predictions and a new theoretical framework for understanding complex biological innovation.
ah! these phylogenetic trees, always a pleasure 🤩 and entertaining 😉
left: with forelimbs, an excellent idea 👏
right: the zoo assembled by basile @babebe.bsky.social 👏 with carl woese representing the Opisthokonta 😜
bsky.app/profile/plos...
left: with forelimbs, an excellent idea 👏
right: the zoo assembled by basile @babebe.bsky.social 👏 with carl woese representing the Opisthokonta 😜
bsky.app/profile/plos...
June 27, 2025 at 11:08 AM
ah! these phylogenetic trees, always a pleasure 🤩 and entertaining 😉
left: with forelimbs, an excellent idea 👏
right: the zoo assembled by basile @babebe.bsky.social 👏 with carl woese representing the Opisthokonta 😜
bsky.app/profile/plos...
left: with forelimbs, an excellent idea 👏
right: the zoo assembled by basile @babebe.bsky.social 👏 with carl woese representing the Opisthokonta 😜
bsky.app/profile/plos...
I mean, you are technically an Obazoa
(Obazoa -> Opisthokonta -> Holozoa -> Filozoa -> Choanozoa -> Animalia...)
(Obazoa -> Opisthokonta -> Holozoa -> Filozoa -> Choanozoa -> Animalia...)
October 6, 2024 at 4:27 PM
I mean, you are technically an Obazoa
(Obazoa -> Opisthokonta -> Holozoa -> Filozoa -> Choanozoa -> Animalia...)
(Obazoa -> Opisthokonta -> Holozoa -> Filozoa -> Choanozoa -> Animalia...)
A genome-scale Opisthokonta tree of life: toward phylogenomic resolution of ancient divergences https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.556338v1
A genome-scale Opisthokonta tree of life: toward phylogenomic resolution of ancient divergences https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.556338v1
Ancient divergences within Opisthokonta, a major lineage that includes organisms in the kingdoms Ani
www.biorxiv.org
September 22, 2023 at 4:34 AM
A genome-scale Opisthokonta tree of life: toward phylogenomic resolution of ancient divergences https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.556338v1
"Our normal opisthokont-centric view, focusing on those cells and organisms most closely related to our selves, i.e., animals and fungi, may be inadequate in attempting to understand... economically important and human-impacting disease organisms."
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Opisthokonta
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Opisthokonta
November 12, 2024 at 12:51 PM
"Our normal opisthokont-centric view, focusing on those cells and organisms most closely related to our selves, i.e., animals and fungi, may be inadequate in attempting to understand... economically important and human-impacting disease organisms."
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Opisthokonta
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #Opisthokonta
A genome-scale Opisthokonta tree of life: toward phylogenomic resolution of ancient divergences https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.556338v1
A genome-scale Opisthokonta tree of life: toward phylogenomic resolution of ancient divergences https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.556338v1
Ancient divergences within Opisthokonta, a major lineage that includes organisms in the kingdoms Ani
www.biorxiv.org
September 22, 2023 at 4:34 AM
A genome-scale Opisthokonta tree of life: toward phylogenomic resolution of ancient divergences https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.09.20.556338v1
In their Review, Silvia Tassan-Lugrezin, Silje Debets, Laura van Niftrik, Taco Kooij & Irina Bregy compare crista across Euglenozoa, Alveolata & Opisthokonta to delineate evolutionarily conserved mechanisms underpinning a general model for crista formation.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
March 16, 2026 at 11:55 AM
In their Review, Silvia Tassan-Lugrezin, Silje Debets, Laura van Niftrik, Taco Kooij & Irina Bregy compare crista across Euglenozoa, Alveolata & Opisthokonta to delineate evolutionarily conserved mechanisms underpinning a general model for crista formation.
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...