Metagenome-assembled genome of the glacier algae Ancylonema nordenskiöldii. Data supporting Bowles et al (2024) New Phytologist

Contemporary glaciers are inhabited by streptophyte algae that balance photosynthesis and growth with tolerance of low temperature, desiccation and UV radiation. These same environmental challenges have been hypothesized as the driving force behind the evolution of land plants from streptophyte algal ancestors in the Cryogenian (720–635 million years ago). We sequenced, assembled and analyzed the metagenome-assembled genome of the glacier alga Ancylonema nordenskiöldii to investigate its adaptations to life in ice, and whether this represents a vestige of Cryogenian exaptations. This first genome-scale data for glacier algae suggests an Ancylonema-specific adaptation to the cryosphere, and sheds light on the genome evolution of land plants and Zygnematophyceae.