Trans-generational effects in the clonal invader Alternanthera philoxeroides

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-129
Author(s):  
Rubén Portela ◽  
Bi-Cheng Dong ◽  
Fei-Hai Yu ◽  
Rodolfo Barreiro ◽  
Sergio R Roiloa ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Recent studies have revealed heritable phenotypic plasticity through vegetative generations. In this sense, changes in gene regulation induced by the environment, such as DNA methylation (i.e. epigenetic changes), can result in reversible plastic responses being transferred to the offspring generations. This trans-generational plasticity is expected to be especially relevant in clonal plants, since reduction of sexual reproduction can decrease the potential for adaptation through genetic variation. Many of the most aggressive plant invaders are clonal, and clonality has been suggested as key to explain plant invasiveness. Here we aim to determine whether trans-generational effects occur in the clonal invader Alternanthera philoxeroides, and whether such effects differ between populations from native and non-native ranges. Methods In a common garden experiment, parent plants of A. philoxeroides from populations collected in Brazil (native range) and Iberian Peninsula (non-native range) were grown in high and low soil nutrient conditions, and offspring plants were transplanted to control conditions with high nutrients. To test the potential role of DNA methylation on trans-generational plasticity, half of the parent plants were treated with the demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine. Important Findings Trans-generational effects were observed both in populations from the native and the non-native ranges. Interestingly, trans-generational effects occurred on growth variables (number of ramets, stem mass, root mass and total mass) in the population from the native range, but on biomass partitioning in the population from the non-native range. Trans-generational effects of the population from the native range may be explained by a ‘silver-spoon’ effect, whereas those of the population from the non-native range could be explained by epigenetic transmission due to DNA methylation. Our study highlights the importance of trans-generational effects on the growth of a clonal plant, which could help to understand the mechanisms underlying expansion success of many clonal plants.

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 422-430
Author(s):  
Liang Xu ◽  
Xiao Wu ◽  
Dan Xiang

AbstractResource sharing between the connected ramets of clonal plants through physiological integration can increase the tolerance of plants to environmental stress. However, the role of physiological integration in the translocation of heavy-metal pollutants between different habitats receives little attention, especially in the aquatic-terrestrial ecotones. An amphibious clonal plant Alternanthera philoxeroides was used to simulate plant expansion from unpolluted soil to a chromium (Cr)-polluted water environment. Basal older ramets growing in unpolluted soil were connected or disconnected with apical younger ramets of the same fragments in polluted environments at different Cr concentrations. Harvested basal ramets were also used for decomposition tests for the loss of residual mass and release of Cr to soil. With increasing Cr concentration there was reduction in biomass of the apical ramets, especially those separated from the basal parts. Cr was detected in the basal ramets with connection to apical parts. The decomposition of plant litter from the basal ramets connected with polluted apical parts might release retained Cr to unpolluted soil. The amount and chemical forms of Cr in the plant litter changed over time. It is concluded that Cr could be transferred from polluted aquatic to unpolluted terrestrial habitats through amphibious clonal plants.


Author(s):  
Jiaxin Quan ◽  
Zuzana Münzbergová ◽  
Vit Latzel

Stress can be remembered by plants in a form of stress legacy that can alter future phenotypes of previously stressed plants and even phenotypes of their offspring. DNA methylation belongs among the mechanisms mediating the stress legacy. It is however not known for how long the stress legacy is carried by plants. If the legacy is long lasting, it can become maladaptive in situations when parental-offspring environments do not match. We investigated for how long after the last exposure of a parental plant to drought can the phenotype of its clonal offspring be altered. We grew parental plants of three genotypes of Trifolium repens for five months either in control conditions or in control conditions that were interrupted with intense drought periods applied for two months in four different time-slots. We also treated half of the parental plants with a demethylating agent (5-azaC) to test for the potential role of DNA methylation in the stress legacy. Then, we transplanted parental cuttings (ramets) individually to control environment and allowed them to produce offspring ramets for two months. The drought stress experienced by parents affected phenotypes of offspring ramets. The stress legacy resulted in enhanced number of offspring ramets originating from parents that experienced drought stress even 8 weeks before their transplantation to the control environment. 5-azaC altered transgenerational effects on offspring ramets. We confirmed that drought stress can trigger transgenerational effect in T. repens that is very likely mediated by DNA methylation. Most importantly, the stress legacy in parental plants persisted for at least 8 weeks suggesting that the stress legacy can persist in a clonal plant Trifolium repens for relatively long period. We suggest that the stress legacy should be considered in future ecological studies on clonal plants.


2011 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 813-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Bi-Cheng Dong ◽  
Peter Alpert ◽  
Hong-Li Li ◽  
Ming-Xiang Zhang ◽  
...  

Zuriat ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. P. de Vries ◽  
, Darliah ◽  
Lidwien A.M. Dubois

BIOBREES is a co-operative scientific programme between Indonesia and The Netherlands, of which the rose part aims at breeding cut roses adapted to the tropical highland. Within that scope four direct plant characters of 62 cut rose genotypes in different physiological stages were studied. The genotypes originated from cross-breeding in 1995 and successive selection for cut rose properties in populations at Plant Research International, Wageningen, The Netherlands, in 1996. Plant stages stuAn died were (i) superior adult seedlings in Wageningen in 1996, (ii) clones grafted onto Natal Briar both in Wageningen and Cipanas in 1997. Clonal Plant Research International, Wageningen, Plant Research International, Wageningen, clonal plants in Cipanas had significantly shorter shoots, more thorns, smaller flowers and fewer petals than the adult seedlings in Wageningen. Clonal plants in Wageningen, however, had significantly longer shoots; more thorns, and larger flowers with more petals than the seedlings in Wageningen. Despite differences in level of expression, for each character the absence of genotype-location interaction was ascertained. The expression of characters as influenced by light (both quantitative and qualitative), temperature and cultivation is discussed in relation to selection of cut roses in the temperate zone, which are adapted to the tropical highland.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatálya dos Santos Ribeiro ◽  
Alexssandra Jéssica Rondon de Figueiredo ◽  
Gabriela Cristina Rech Tormen ◽  
André Luís Lopes da Silva ◽  
Wellington Ferreira Campos ◽  
...  

Bamboo species are an alternative for the composition of forest plantations. However, their potential has not been explored due to the hard time in producing large-scale clonal plants. Thus, the aim this work was to evaluate the in vitro establishment, bud multiplication and ex vitro rooting of Bambusa vulgaris. The first experiment tested different systemic and contact fungicide solutions, based on exposure time, during the establishment phase. Established explants were subjected to evaluation of residual fungicide effect on subcultures during the multiplication and elongation phases. The second experiment evaluated the influence of activated carbon on ex vitro survival and on adventitious rooting. Explant immersion in liquid culture medium added with 1.0 mL of fungicide for 120 hours has favored the in vitro establishment and reduced fungal contamination. On the other hand, it favored the shoot emission of shoots per explant during the multiplication phase. Both rooting induction culture medium and mini-incubator system use were effective in enabling adventitious root formation. The presence of activated carbon in the rooting induction culture medium resulted in a higher clonal plant survival rate.  


Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1640
Author(s):  
Yolande Despinasse ◽  
Sandrine Moja ◽  
Catherine Soler ◽  
Frédéric Jullien ◽  
Bernard Pasquier ◽  
...  

The true lavender Lavandula angustifolia Miller is a Mediterranean aromatic shrub widely cultivated for its high quality essential oil used in perfumery and phytotherapy. Despite its economic importance, the intra-specific diversity among wild, non-cultivated plants remains poorly understood. We analyzed the structure of the chemical and genetic diversity of plants from 14 sites sampled over the entire native range of the true lavender. Volatile organic compounds of inflorescences were analyzed using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Genotyping was performed with fingerprinting genetic markers. To limit the influence of environmental variability on chemical composition, plants were grown in the same conditions in a common garden. Without prior knowledge, discriminant analysis of principal component identified unambiguously four distinct chemotypes among three genetic populations. Co-inertia analysis and supervised analysis which integrated multiple datasets indicated a strong congruency between chemical and genetic patterns. Two distinct genetic units were located at the edge of the distribution area in the south of Italy and in the northeast of Spain, and were associated with two distinct chemotypes. Our results confirmed the existence of three genetically distinct entities, suggesting speciation. All French populations and the Italian Piedmontese population were genetically homogeneous but separated in two distinct chemotypes. The dominant chemotype was present in the center of the native range in southeastern France and was at the origin of the current most cultivated French varieties. Its main compounds were linalyl acetate, linalool, and caryophyllene oxide. The second French chemotype was found in south of Massif Central and presented high abundance of valuable linalyl and lavandulyl acetates. Linalool, eucalyptol, β-caryophyllene, borneol, camphor, and cis-sabinene-hydrate were significantly associated with southern latitudes and their role would be worth exploring.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhou ◽  
Liang Jiao ◽  
Huijun Qin ◽  
Fang Li

Clonal plants play an important role in determining ecosystem properties such as community stability, species diversity and nutrient cycling. However, relatively little information is available about the stoichiometric characteristics of clonal plants and their drivers in inland riparian wetlands under strong environmental stress. In this manuscript, we studied the clonal plant Phragmites australis in an inland riparian wetland of Northwest China and compared its nutrient distribution and stoichiometry trade-offs as well as its responses to soil environmental factors in three different environments, namely, a wetland, a salt marsh, and a desert. We found that (1) P. australis could adapt to heterogeneous environments by changing its nutrient allocation strategies, as evidenced by the significant decrease in N and P concentrations, and significant increase in whole-plant C:P and N:P ratios from the wetland to the desert habitats. (2) P. australis adapted to stressful environments by changing its nutrient allocation patterns among different modules, showing a greater tendency to invest N and P in underground modules (rhizomes and roots) and an increase in the utilization efficiency of N and P in the leaves, and stems as environmental stress increased. (3) The C-N, C-P, and N:P-C in the whole plant and in each module showed significant anisotropic growth relationships in the three habitats (P < 0.05). (4) Soil water, pH and salt were the main factors limiting nutrient stoichiometry. The results of this study clarified the ecological adaptation mechanism of the clonal plant P. australis to heterogeneous environments and provided targeted protection strategies for inland riparian wetlands in Northwest China.


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