title: Charophytes: Evolutionary Giants and Emerging Model Organisms.
abstract: Charophytes are the group of green algae whose ancestral lineage gave rise to land plants in what resulted in a profoundly transformative event in the natural history of the planet. Extant charophytes exhibit many features that are similar to those found in land plants and their relatively simple phenotypes make them efficacious organisms for the study of many fundamental biological phenomena. Several taxa includingMicrasterias, Penium, Chara, andColeochaeteare valuable model organisms for the study of cell biology, development, physiology and ecology of plants. New and rapidly expanding molecular studies are increasing the use of charophytes that in turn, will dramatically enhance our understanding of the evolution of plants and the adaptations that allowed for survival on land. TheFrontiers in Plant Scienceseries on "Charophytes" provides an assortment of new research reports and reviews on charophytes and their emerging significance as model plants.
authors: Department of Biology, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY, USA.
authors: David S
authors: DS
authors: Domozych
authors: Botany and Plant Science, School of Natural Science, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland.
authors: Zoë A
authors: ZA
authors: Popper
authors: Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca NY, USA.
authors: Iben
authors: I
authors: Sørensen
keywords: Micrasterias; Penium; charophytes; evolution; model organisms