The Complete Chloroplast Genome of Encyclia tampensis (Orchidaceae): Structural Variation and Heterogeneous Evolutionary Dynamics in Epidendreae

These results establish that plastome evolution in Epidendreae has been principally driven by structural reorganization through SSC contraction and long SSR accumulation, selective constraints maintaining functional genes under purifying selection, and life history-strategy-mediated evolutionary rate diversification. These processes collectively account for the tribe's extensive genomic diversity and phylogenetic complexity, thereby providing a theoretical framework for understanding orchid plastome evolution and a molecular basis for the systematic classification and conservation of this economically significant plant group.