Dong S., S. Zhang, L. Zhang, H. Wu, B. Goffinet & Y. Liu. 2021. Plastid genomes and phylogenomics of the early land plant liverworts (Marchantiophyta): conserved genome structure and highest plastid substitution rates among three genetic compartments. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 161: 107171.  pdf  Google Scholar.

Highlights

• We newly generated 42 complete liverwort plastomes spreading 13 out of 15 liverwort orders.This study confirmed the conserved structural evolution of liverwort plastomes despite characterization of two structural variants in simple thalloid liverworts, including one newly reported structural variant of Pallavicinia lyellii.
• Our plastid phylogenomic reconstruction cemented the backbone phylogeny of liverwort and consistently supported the sister relationship of Ptilidium with Porellales.
• In liverworts, plastid protein-coding genes have the highest substitution rates, they are on average 1.5-fold, 15-fold that of their nuclear, and mitochondrial counterparts.

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