Transgenerational non-genetic inheritance has fitness costs and benefits under recurring stress in the clonal duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza.

ABSTRACT: Although non-genetic inheritance is thought to play an important role in plant ecology and evolution, evidence for adaptive transgenerational plasticity is scarce. Here, we investigated the consequences of copper excess on offspring defences and fitness under recurring stress in the duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza across multiple asexual generations. Growing large monoclonal populations (greater than 10 000 individuals) for 30 generations under copper excess had negative fitness effects after short and no fitness effect after prolonged growth under recurring stress. These time-dependent growth rates were likely influenced by environment-induced transgenerational responses, as propagating plants as single descendants for 2 to 10 generations under copper excess had positive, negat

SUBMITTER: Huber M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8292752 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature