Emergence of Ectocarpus as a Model System to Study the Evolution of Complex Multicellularity in the Brown Algae

In contrast to the situation in land plants and animals, very little information is available concerning the molecular mechanisms underlying multicellular development in the brown algae. Historically, one of the reasons for this has been the lack of an effective model organism for the latter group that would permit the application of powerful genomic and genetic approaches to explore these processes. This situation has changed in recent years with the emergence of the filamentous brown alga Ectocarpus as a model organism. This chapter describes the genetic and genomic resources that are currently available for this organism and describes some of the additional tools that are under development. Potential additional models that would provide access to the biological diversity within the brown algae are also discussed, with a particular focus on the evolution of multicellular complexity within this group.