Liming Cai

Synthesis cost is a hidden driver of convergent amino acid composition in plastid ribosomal proteins

The paper shows that synthesis cost minimization drives convergent amino acid changes in plastid ribosomal proteins across plant lineages with relaxed selection.

The danger zone: the joint trap of incomplete lineage sorting and long-branch attraction in resolving the Gondwanan origin of Rafflesiaceae and Apodanthaceae

This study investigates phylogenetic challenges in Rafflesiaceae and Apodanthaceae, identifying a 'danger zone' caused by incomplete lineage sorting and long-branch attraction, leading to unstable placements despite divergence time estimates suggesting a mid-Cretaceous origin.

A reference genome and transcriptome of haustorial development in Pedicularis groenlandica reveal diverse trajectories of haustoria-associated gene evolution in parasitic plants

This study identifies haustoria-associated genes in Pedicularis groenlandica and shows they are more often linked to pollen tubes than roots, with neofunctionalization playing a role in their evolution.

Altered mitochondrial respiration is associated with loss of nuclear-encoded OXPHOS genes in parasitic broomrapes

The paper investigates gene loss in nuclear-encoded mitochondrial OXPHOS genes in parasitic plants and finds that despite genetic alterations, OXPHOS function is preserved through reliance on complex II.

Well-resolved phylogeny supports repeated evolution of keel flowers as a synergistic contributor to papilionoid legume diversification

The paper uses phylogenetic analysis to show keel flowers evolved multiple times in legumes but did not drive diversification alone, suggesting synergistic factors like nitrogen fixation and dispersal were more important.

Recombination and retroprocessing in broomrapes reveal a universal roadmap for mitochondrial evolution in heterotrophic plants

This study identifies genetic alterations in mitochondrial genomes of heterotrophic plants, revealing recombination and retroprocessing as key drivers of genome evolution.