Rhizomal Reclassification of Living Organisms

Abstract

Living organisms interact with each other during their lifetime, leading to genomes rearrangement and sequences transfer. These well-known phenomena give these organisms mosaic genomes, which challenge their classification. Moreover, many findings occurred between the IXXth and XXIst century, especially the discovery of giant viruses and candidate phyla radiation (CPR). Here, we tried to provide an updated classification, which integrates 216 representative genomes of the current described organisms. The reclassification was expressed through a genetic network based on the total genomic content, not on a single gene to represent the tree of life. This rhizomal exploration represents, more accurately, the evolutionary relationships among the studied species. Our analyses show a separated branch named fifth TRUC (Things Resisting Uncompleted Classifications). This taxon groups CPRs together, independently from Bacteria, Archaea (which regrouped also Nanoarchaeota and Asgard members), Eukarya, and the giant viruses (recognized recently as fourth TRUC). Finally, the broadening of analysis methods will lead to the discovery of new organisms, which justify the importance of updating the classification at every opportunity. In this perspective, our pragmatic representation could be adjusted along with the progress of evolutionary studies.