The diversity and evolution of mitochondrial genomes in sunflower family (Asteraceae)

In this study, we assembled 38 new mitogenomes from Asteraceae, including the first reported mitogenomes from 9 subfamilies and 3 additional tribes. Through comprehensive analyses of mitogenome size, structure, gene content, and RNA editing patterns, we characterized the diversity of mitogenomes across the family. Utilizing this expanded dataset, we reconstructed mitochondrial phylogenies using different sets of markers and evaluated their congruence with existing plastid and nuclear-based trees. Our results demonstrated substantial variation in mitogenome size across Asteraceae, with particularly compact mitogenomes observed in the Asteroideae subfamily. Comparative genomic analyses revealed both conserved features and dynamic evolutionary patterns in protein-coding sequences and non-coding regions. These findings provide new evolutionary insights and establish a valuable genomic framework for future studies of Asteraceae systematics and mitogenome evolution.