Data for: Host shift promotes divergent evolution between closely related holoparasitic species

Distinct hosts have been hypothesized to possess the potential for affecting species differentiation and genome evolution of parasitic organisms. However, what host shift history is experienced by the closely related parasites and whether disparate evolution of their genomes occur remain largely unknown. Here, we screened horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events in a pair of sister species of holoparasitic Boschniakia (Orobanchaceae) having obligate hosts from distinct families to recall the former host-parasite associations and performed a comparative analysis to investigate the difference of their organelle genomes. Except these from present hosts (Ericaceae and Betulaceae), a number of HGTs from Rosaceae were identified to support the occurrence of unexpected ancient host shifts. Different hosts transfer functional genes which changed nuclear genomes of the sister species. Similarly, different donors transfer sequences to their mitogenomes which size varies due to foreign and repetitive elements rather than other factors found in other parasites. The plastomes are both severely reduced, but the extent of differences in reduction syndrome is near to the genus level. Our findings provide new insights into the genome evolution of parasites adapting different hosts and extend the mechanism of host shift promoting species differentiation to parasitic plant lineages.