Here is an exhaustive exploration of all aspects of research on organelle genomes. This outstanding new volume reviews the properties of chloroplast and mitorchondrial genomes, describing in depth their structure, gene content, expression, evolution, and genetics.The book takes readers to the outer limits of contemporary research, showing how the study of genomes contributes to the solution of important problems in molecular biology. It covers a wide range of problems from the use of organelle DNA molecules in taxonomic and phylogenetic studies to molecular investigations of the mechanisms underlying RNA editing, intron splicing and mobility, protein import, and mitochondrial disease.This unique text is designed for an introductory course in organelle genetics at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It is of special interest to professionals in the fields of molecular and cell biology, genetics, and evolution.