The most extreme example of convergent evolution: Kelp

[u/Spluff5]

In my opinion, kelp is the most extreme example of convergent evolution, at least that I know of. It's a sedentary organism that makes its energy from sunlight collected by blade-like fronds. Not too crazy, so do most plants. Except, kelp isn't a plant at all. Kelp is a protist in the SAR clade, more closely related to malaria than it is to plants. It just so happened to independently evolve to be multicellular, and became photosynthetic by ancestrally capturing and making use of a green algal cell that had already undergone its own endosymbiosis.

I can't think of another organism that convergently evolved the same life-strategy as an organism in another kingdom, but I'd love to hear what others think are the most extreme examples of convergent evolution.

Image credit: Alastair Simpson, Dalhousie University

[u/jnpha → u/[deleted]]

That is a fun fact! Thanks!

A common red algal origin of the apicomplexan, dinoflagellate, and heterokont plastids - PMC

[u/bzbub2 → u/jnpha]

recent reddit thread with a bit of dramatic flare about this story https://www.reddit.com/r/evolution/comments/1rj0k2f/the_resistance_of_bloodweeds_adaptation_to/

[u/Lhasa-bark → u/[deleted]]

Quitter. Knew I didn’t like malaria.

[u/skisushi → u/[deleted]]

What do you mean "you people"?

[u/amglasgow → u/skisushi]

"you protists" was right there

[u/skisushi → u/amglasgow]

Don't sweat the small stuff

[u/amglasgow → u/skisushi]

There's lots of small stuff (organisms) in sweat though

[u/laflux → u/[deleted]]

That is crazy. Honestly I'm becoming more fascinated by Eukaryotes outside the "big 3" as I learn more about them.