Month: September 2022

SOMATIC MUTATIONS. "Recent evidence suggests that somatic mutations can play a significant role in influencing fitness in clonal plants and may also help explain the occurrence of genetic diversity in sterile clonal populations. Highly polymorphic genetic markers offer outstanding opportunities for gaining novel insights into functional interactions between sexual and clonal reproduction in flowering plants." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8859.full View in LinkedIn

VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION. "Clonality in plants is widespread and includes species that span temporally and spatially heterogeneous environments. Yet, theory predicts that clonally reproducing plants evolve at slower rates, risk accumulating more mutations than sexuals, and potentially lack the benefits of DNA repair mechanisms afforded by meiosis." https://lnkd.in/dS5_4wr View in LinkedIn

SUCCESS VS COSTS. "Does the apparent success of clonal plants contradict the severe costs of clonal reproduction suggested by theory?" http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-014-0430-z View in LinkedIn

CLONES AND EPIGENETICS. "We examine how epigenetics may confer ecological advantages to clonal plants that could outweigh these evolutionary costs." http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-014-0430-z View in LinkedIn

MORE PLASTIC ADAPTATION. "Relying to various degrees on vegetative reproduction, the capacity to conserve or reverse gene regulation changes over cell divisions has clear potential for optimization of plasticity and acclimation in response to environmental variation encountered. Clonal plants may be one of the best examples of organisms taking advantage of epigenetic acclimation as an alternative to the slower mechanisms of adaptation through natural selection." http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-014-0430-z View in LinkedIn

EVOLUTIONARY BENEFITS. "Clonal reproduction also provides several evolutionary benefits, including avoidance of the costs associated with sexual reproduction and a means by which adaptive genotypes can be replicated rapidly after colonization of new environments." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8859.full View in LinkedIn

ADAPTIVE OPTION. "Clonal populations often persist in habitats in which sexual reproduction is prevented, either because of the absence of mating partners, or where ecological conditions are unfavorable for seed set, seed germination, or seedling establishment." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8859.full View in LinkedIn

THREE DISADVANTAGES. "Despite the many advantages of vegetative reproduction, there is a growing recognition that clonal growth can also affect sexual reproduction in ways that may be detrimental to fitness. Three particular influences have been identified." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8859.full View in LinkedIn

DISADVANTAGE #1. "If there are strong trade-offs between investment in sexual and vegetative reproduction, rapid clonal expansion may limit allocation to flowering and seed production." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8859.full View in LinkedIn

DISADVANTAGE #2. "Vegetative reproduction has the potential to interfere with pollination and mating, resulting in reductions in the quantity and quality of offspring. This situation can occur when clonal dispersal disrupts the functioning of sexual systems, leading to the absence of mating groups required for outcrossing, or where very large clones experience fitness costs (inbreeding depression and pollen discounting) associated with geitonogamous (between flower) self-pollination because of large floral displays." http://www.pnas.org/content/112/29/8859.full View in LinkedIn