Dataset Information

Phenotypic Response to Light Versus Shade Associated with DNA Methylation Changes in Snapdragon Plants (Antirrhinum majus).

ABSTRACT: The phenotypic plasticity of plants in response to change in their light environment, and in particularly, to shade is a schoolbook example of ecologically relevant phenotypic plasticity with evolutionary adaptive implications. Epigenetic variation is known to potentially underlie plant phenotypic plasticity. Yet, little is known about its role in ecologically and evolutionary relevant mechanisms shaping the diversity of plant populations in nature. Here we used a reference-free reduced representation bisulfite sequencing method for non-model organisms (epiGBS) to investigate changes in DNA methylation patterns across the genome in snapdragon plants (Antirrhinum majus L.). We exposed plants to sunlight versus artificially induced shade in four highly inbred lines to exclude genetic confounding effects. Our results showed that phenotypic plasticity in response to light versus shade shaped vegetative traits. They also showed that DNA methylation patterns were modified under light versus shade, with a trend towards global effects over the genome but with large effects found on a restricted portion. We also detected the existence of a correlation between phenotypic and epigenetic variation that neither supported nor rejected its potential role in plasticity. While our findings imply epigenetic changes in response to light versus shade environments in snapdragon plants, whether these changes are directly involved in the phenotypic plastic response of plants remains to be investigated. Our approach contributed to this new finding but illustrates the limits in terms of sample size and statistical power of population epigenetic approaches in non-model organisms. Pushing this boundary will be necessary before the relationship between environmentally induced epigenetic changes and phenotypic plasticity is clarified for ecologically relevant mechanisms with evolutionary implications.

SUBMITTER: Mouginot P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7914928 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Phenotypic Response to Light Versus Shade Associated with DNA Methylation Changes in Snapdragon Plants (<i>Antirrhinum majus</i>).

Mouginot Pierick P Luviano Aparicio Nelia N Gourcilleau Delphine D Latutrie Mathieu M Marin Sara S Hemptinne Jean-Louis JL Grunau Christoph C Pujol Benoit B

Genes 20210204 2

The phenotypic plasticity of plants in response to change in their light environment, and in particularly, to shade is a schoolbook example of ecologically relevant phenotypic plasticity with evolutionary adaptive implications. Epigenetic variation is known to potentially underlie plant phenotypic plasticity. Yet, little is known about its role in ecologically and evolutionary relevant mechanisms shaping the diversity of plant populations in nature. Here we used a reference-free reduced represen ...[more]

PMID: 33557416

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Project description:To assess the effect a new animal-derived biostimulant on the growth, root morphology, nitrogen content, leaf gas exchange of greenhouse potted snapdragon, three treatments were compared: (a) three doses of biostimulant (D): 0 (D0 or control), 0.1 (D0.1), and 0.2 g L-1 (D0.2); (b) two biostimulant application methods (M): foliar spray and root drenching; (c) two F1Antirrhinum majus L. hybrids (CV): "Yellow floral showers" and "Red sonnet." The treatments were arranged in a randomized complete-block design with four replicates, with a total of 48 experimental units. Plant height (+11%), number of shoots (+20%), total shoot length (+10%), number of leaves (+33%), total leaf area (+29%), and number of flowers (+59%) and total aboveground dry weight (+13%) were significantly increased by the biostimulant application compared to the control, regardless of the dose. The lowest dose resulted in the best effect on the ground plant dry weight (+38%) and, in order to the root system, on total length (+55%), average diameter (+36%), volume (+66%), tips (+49%), crossings (+88%), forks (+68%), projected (+62%), and total surface area (+28%). Compared to the control, plants treated with the biostimulant significantly enhanced leaf (+16%) and root (+8%) nitrogen content, photosynthetic rate (+52%), transpiration rate (+55%), and stomatal conductance (+81%), although there were no changes in dark-adapted chlorophyll fluorescence. Differences in the application method were not evident in the aboveground morphological traits, except in the plant shoot number (root drenching: +10%). The foliar spray compared to root drenching had a significant effect only on flower dry weight (3.8 vs. 3.0 g plant-1). On the other hand, root drenching had a positive effect on ground dry weight (2.7 vs. 2.3 g plant-1), root morphology, leaf-N and root-N content (+3%), transpiration rate (+21%), stomatal conductance (+40%), concentration of CO2 in intracellular spaces (+11%), as well as on the efficiency of Photosystem II (+11%). A higher pot quality was obtained in "Red sonnet" compared to "Yellow floral shower." Based on our findings, applying the biostimulant to potted snapdragon at the lowest dose, as part of a fertilizing regime, improves the crop quality in an agro-environmental sustainable way.

Dataset Information

Phenotypic Response to Light Versus Shade Associated with DNA Methylation Changes in Snapdragon Plants (Antirrhinum majus).

Publications

Phenotypic Response to Light Versus Shade Associated with DNA Methylation Changes in Snapdragon Plants (<i>Antirrhinum majus</i>).

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