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Fig. 1 | BMC Biology

Fig. 1

From: Lateral gene transfer in eukaryotes: tip of the iceberg or of the ice cube?

Fig. 1

How prevalent is LGT in prokaryotes and eukaryotes? Schematic representation of the cellular organism tree of life. The root of the tree is indicated in violet and Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya branches in red, green, and blue, respectively. Plain black arrows represent vertical gene inheritance from ancestors to their descendants. Dashed lines represent LGT events. Within Bacteria and Archaea, the branches are highly interconnected by LGT events. In Eukaryotes there is much less interconnection and recent gene acquisition of prokaryote origin via LGT is controversial. Violet branches emerging from the root represent extinct clades

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