Strikingly convergent genome alterations in two independently evolved holoparasites

Two independently evolved lineages of holoparasites - Balanophora (Santalales) and Sapria (Malpighiales) - display massively convergent characteristics of genome modifications, including gene loss in major pathways, reduction of multigene families and generally relaxed selection pressure. These findings provide valuable new insights into the fascinating biology of parasitic plants.