Premise A subset of parasitic plants bear extremely reduced features and grow nearly entirely within their hosts. Until recently, most these endoparasites were thought to represent a single clade united by morphology. Current phylogenetic understanding contradicts this assumption indicates distantly related clades, thus offering an opportunity examine convergence among with life history. Method...

Angiosperms do not contain a distinct germline, but rather develop gametes from gametophyte initials that undergo cell division. These gametes contain cells that give rise to an endosperm and the embryo. DNA methylation is decreased in the vegetative nucleus (VN) and central cell nuclei (CCN) resulting in expression of transposable elements (TEs). It is thought that the siRNAs produced in respo...