Chromosomal plasticity: mitigating the impacts of herbivory.

摘要: Endoreduplication, the replication of genome without mitosis, leads to endopolyploidy, an increase in cellular chromosome number. Although endoreduplication is widespread among angiosperms and other groups eukaryotes, degree which this process plastic under varying environmental conditions its potential adaptive significance are not known. Here, using flow cytometry, we measured plasticity number following removal apical dominance (simulating natural herbivory) two ecotypes Arabidopsis thaliana: Columbia Landsberg erecta. We report that endopolyploidy clipped plants was significantly different than unclipped controls regrowth, ploidy positively associated with attributes fitness (biomass, flower, fruit, seed production). In contrast, erecta showed no significant differences a decrease production compared controls; representing genotype × environment interaction between ecotypes. Altering via adds previously unknown way may be able cope stress: enhancing regrowth rates plant damage.