Li Kenian, Chen Jinsong, Wei Qing, Li Qian, Lei Ningfei
College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.
College of Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2018 Nov 14;9:1640. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01640. eCollection 2018.
Environmentally induced transgenerational plasticity can increase success of progeny and thereby be adaptive if progeny experiences the similarly parental environment. The ecological and evolutionary significance of transgenerational plasticity in plant has been studied mainly in the context of sexual generations. A pot experiment using the stoloniferous herb was conducted to investigate the effects of high/low light treatment experienced by parental ramets (F generation) on morphological and physiological properties of offspring ramets (F generation) as well as growth performance. Light environment experienced by parental ramets (F generation) significantly influenced petiole length, specific petiole length, internode length of stolon, leaf area, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen and chlorophyll contents, potential maximum net photosynthetic rate ( ) in offspring ramets subjected to parental or non-parental environments even after they were detached from the parental ramets. Potential maximum net photosynthetic rate ( ) of offspring ramets (F generation) from parental ramets (F generation) subjected to low light treatment was significantly greater than that of offspring ramets (F generation) from parental ramets (F generation) subjected to high light treatment. Potential maximum net photosynthetic rate ( ) of offspring ramets (F generation) subjected to parental light environment was greater than that of offspring ramets (F generation) subjected to non-parental light environment. The greatest biomass accumulation and total stolon length were observed in offspring ramets (F generation) subjected to low light treatment as parental ramets (F generation) experienced. When parental ramets (F generation) were subjected to low light treatment, biomass accumulation and total stolon length of offspring ramets (F generation) experiencing parental light environment were significantly greater than those of offspring ramets (F generation) experiencing non-parental light environment. Opposite pattern was observed in offspring ramets (F generation) from parental ramets subjected to high light treatment. Our work provides evidence that transgenerational plasticity through both morphological and physiological flexibility was triggered across vegetative generations for stoloniferous herb subjected to high/low light treatment. The transgenerational plasticity can allow offspring ramets to present adaptive phenotype early without lag time in response to the current environment. Thus, it is very important for clonal plants in adapting temporally and spatially heterogeneous habitats.
环境诱导的跨代可塑性可以提高后代的成功率，因此，如果后代经历与亲代相似的环境，这种可塑性就是适应性的。植物中跨代可塑性的生态和进化意义主要是在有性世代的背景下进行研究的。我们进行了一项使用匍匐茎草本植物的盆栽实验，以研究亲本分株（F1代）所经历的高光/低光处理对后代分株（F1代）的形态和生理特性以及生长性能的影响。即使在后代分株与亲本分株分离后，亲本分株（F1代）所经历的光照环境仍显著影响处于亲代或非亲代环境中的后代分株的叶柄长度、比叶柄长度、匍匐茎节间长度、叶面积、比叶面积（SLA）、叶片氮和叶绿素含量、潜在最大净光合速率（ ）。来自接受低光处理的亲本分株（F1代）的后代分株（F1代）的潜在最大净光合速率显著高于来自接受高光处理的亲本分株（F1代）的后代分株（F1代）。处于亲代光照环境下的后代分株（F1代）的潜在最大净光合速率大于处于非亲代光照环境下的后代分株（F1代）。当亲本分株（F1代）接受低光处理时，经历亲代光照环境的后代分株（F1代）的生物量积累和总匍匐茎长度显著大于经历非亲代光照环境的后代分株（F1代）。在接受高光处理的亲本分株的后代分株（F1代）中观察到相反的模式。我们的研究提供了证据，表明对于接受高光/低光处理的匍匐茎草本植物，跨代可塑性通过形态和生理灵活性在无性世代中被触发。这种跨代可塑性可以使后代分株在没有滞后时间的情况下早期呈现适应性表型以响应当前环境。因此，这对于克隆植物适应时间和空间上异质的生境非常重要。
