Drastic reduction of plastome size in the mycoheterotrophic Thismia tentaculata relative to that of its autotrophic relative Tacca chantrieri

摘要

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Heterotrophic angiosperms tend to have reduced plastome sizes relative to those of their autotrophic relatives because genes that code for proteins involved in photosynthesis are lost. However, some plastid-encoded proteins may have vital nonphotosynthetic functions, and the plastome therefore may be retained after the loss of photosynthesis.