Reductive evolution

Reductive evolution is a process involving the progressive loss of genes, also known as reductive genomic evolution. This process has occurred across both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, particularly in organisms that live as endosymbionts or parasites. This was also an evolutionary process, evident in the transformation of symbionts into cell organelles, as seen in the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts, through the symbiogenesis process.

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