Scientists offer first definitive proof of bacteria-feeding behavior in green algae

Researchers have captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. This acquisition is thought to be a critical first step in the evolution of photosynthetic algae and land plants, which, in turn, contributed to the increase in oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere and ocean and provided one of the conditions necessary for animal evolution.



via ScienceDaily: Anthropology News http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130523143741.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Ffossils_ruins%2Fanthropology+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Fossils+%26+Ruins+News+--+Anthropology%29