Degradation of key photosynthetic genes in the critically endangered semi-aquatic flowering plant Saniculiphyllum guangxiense (Saxifragaceae).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Plastid gene loss and pseudogenization has been widely documented in parasitic and mycoheterotrophic plants, which have relaxed selective constraints on photosynthetic function. More enigmatic are sporadic reports of pseudogenization and loss of important photosynthesis genes in lineages thought to be fully photosynthetic. Here we report the complete plastid genome of Saniculiphyllum guangxiense, a critically endangered and phylogenetically isolated plant lineage, along with genomic evidence of reduced chloroplast function. We also report 22 additional plastid genomes representing the diversity of its containing clade Saxifragales, characterizing gene content and placing variation in a broader phylogenetic context.

Results

We find that the plastid genome of Sanicu

SUBMITTER: Folk RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7346412 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature