Breviatea
| Breviatea | |
|---|---|
| Differential interference contrast micrographs of four strains of undescribed marine breviates. Scale bars: 5 µm | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Podiata |
| Clade: | Amorphea |
| Clade: | Obazoa |
| Class: | Breviatea Cavalier-Smith 2004 in Cavalier-Smith et al., 2004 |
| Order: | Breviatida Cavalier-Smith, 2004 |
| Genera | |
| Diversity | |
| 4 species | |
Breviatea, commonly known as breviate amoebae, are a group of free-living, amitochondriate protists with uncertain phylogenetic position. They are biflagellate, and can live in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments. They are currently placed in the Obazoa clade. They likely do not possess vinculin proteins. Their metabolism relies on fermentative production of ATP as an adaptation to their low-oxygen environment.
The lineage emerged roughly one billion years ago, at a time when the oxygen content of the Earth's oceans was low, and they thus developed anaerobic lifestyles. Together with apusomonads, they are the closest relatives of the opisthokonts, a group that includes animals and fungi.