Annals of botany最新文献

{"title":"Synchrony of floral volatile emission with diurnal pollinators of possible decomposition mimic Asarum savatieri (Aristolochiaceae).","authors":"Anna K Valchanova, Satoshi Kakishima, Kanako Sekimoto, Jui-Tse Chang, Yudai Okuyama","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag325","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag325","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Floral scent is crucial for mediating plant-pollinator interactions, a primary driver of angiosperm diversity. The dynamic nature of olfactory cues means they can be fine-tuned to suit pollinator activity, making them an effective method of adaptation to local pollinator niches. Asarum sect. Heterotropa is one of the most species-rich lineages in Japan with remarkable variation in floral scents. We investigate how floral volatiles determine pollinator specificity in A. savatieri, a species with unusual floral phenology and scent, and examine how scent emission is synchronised with pollinator activity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We identified pollinators by time-lapse photography and DNA barcoding, and recorded the visitation time of different animals. Pollinators were distinguished by the presence of pollen on their bodies. We examined floral scent composition and emission patterns by GC-MS and real time proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry. We then assessed the degree of synchrony between volatile emission and visitation patterns of different floral visitors.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>A. savatieri relies on dipterans for pollination, with Megaselia (Phoridae) being the most effective pollinator. Egg-laying by these flies inside the flowers suggests an oviposition-site mimicry system. Drosophila (Drosophilidae) were also frequent visitors, but their contribution to pollination remains unclear. The floral scent profile was dominated by volatiles resembling both carrion and rotting fruit, including dimethyl disulphide, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, possibly suggesting a mixed mimicry system. These major volatiles followed a diurnal emission pattern with high emission synchronised exclusively to the daytime visitation by dipterans, including the pollinators.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The floral scent composition and oviposition by pollinating flies inside the flowers of A. savatieri indicates a deceptive pollination strategy of decomposition mimicry, possibly of a combination of carrion and rotting fruit. The synchrony between volatile emission and pollinators strongly suggests that these volatiles function as a fine-tuned adaptive trait to attract specific pollinators.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149126402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glands up! Novel Secretory Structures from Cuphea melvilla in Amazon Floodplain and Paradigm Shifts of their Functional Implications.","authors":"Adriele Araújo Lever, Valéria Ferreira Fernandes, Renata Maria Strozi Alves Meira, Isabel Reis Guesdon","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag320","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The diversity of secretory structures in Lythraceae remains poorly understood. We thus present a comprehensive morphoanatomical description of vegetative and reproductive glands in Cuphea melvilla to address fundamental questions about their secretions and functions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Buds, leaves and flowers of C. melvilla were sampled from floodplain habitats in the Brazilian Amazon. Field observations of visitors were conducted, and seven distinct gland types were characterized using light and scanning electron microscopy alongside comprehensive histochemical testing of glandular tissues and exudates.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>An unexpected diversity of secretory structures was identified within C. melvilla. Conical colleters occur at both vegetative and reproductive shoot apical meristems, exhibiting a novel pattern consisting of a central secretory axis enclosed by a non-secretory epidermis. The yellow spots on the leaves are epithemal hydathodes, and the epicalyx revealed the unprecedented discovery of floral hydathodes associated with non-vascularized glandular projections. Additionally, the floral spur exhibits a vascularized nectary. Four main functional roles are proposed: (i) leaf and floral hydathodes mediate water homeostasis via guttation/absorption; (ii) colleters produce a predominantly mucilaginous exudate that protects developing leaves and flowers from desiccation and pathogen invasion; (iii) an oleoresinous, sticky secretion from floral glandular projections helps in defense against herbivores and facilitates pollen adhesion; and (iv) the floral nectary produces a sugary, aromatic nectar as hummingbirds reward.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The remarkable diversity of secretory structures in C. melvilla - most notably the first report of colleters in Lythraceae and of floral hydathodes in angiosperm - underscores the need for a broader reassessment of anatomy descriptions across the family. These secretory structures revealed unprecedented morphoanatomical and functional evidence that expand significantly the understanding of ecological adaptation within the family, and likely play pivotal roles in mediating plant-animal interactions and aiding survival during seasonal drought and flooding regimes in Amazon wetlands.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149126369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seedling diversity, development and evolution in Bromeliaceae Juss. (Poales).","authors":"Vitória E Machado, Jordano D T de Carvalho, Elton M C Leme, Ivón M Ramírez-Morillo, Jorge E A Mariath, Sofia A Kuhn","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag326","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag326","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Understanding post-seminal development is essential for species conservation and provides key insights into reproductive biology and macroevolution. Despite their remarkable structural diversity among monocots, seedlings remain an understudied developmental stage, although they are critical for juvenile sporophyte survival and establishment. In Bromeliaceae, one of the major adaptive radiations of monocots, knowledge of seedling development remains fragmented and taxonomically biased. This study comparatively characterizes the ontogeny and morphoanatomy of bromeliad seedlings, providing the first broad phylogenetic assessment for the family.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 33 species from 16 genera representing seven subfamilies were analyzed, including Brocchinia, the sister genus to all other bromeliads, as well as rare, endemic, and threatened lineages, such as Hechtioideae and Navioideae, that had never been sampled before. Post-seminal development was monitored using light and scanning electron microscopy. Characters were optimized on a consensus supertree using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>We described and compared 31 informative morphological, micromorphological, and anatomical characters of the eophylls, cotyledons, and roots. Our analyses indicate that a compact, early-photosynthetic cotyledon and peltate trichomes are plesiomorphic features of the family. In contrast, a laminar cotyledonary hypophyll and uniseriate glandular trichomes represent derived conditions shared by most lineages. Anatomical features, including the presence of a water-storage hypodermis, stomatal position and variation in sclerenchyma associated with vascular bundles, also show taxonomic and ecological significance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Through a phylogenetically representative analysis of seedling ontogeny, anatomy, and micromorphology, including previously unsampled taxa, we provide the first evolutionary assessment of this life stage across major lineages of Bromeliaceae. Our findings establish a novel comparative framework for future investigations of seedling development and evolution in Bromeliaceae and other tropical monocots, while expanding current understanding of the evolution of adaptive strategies associated with vegetative organs in the family.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149126420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Host preference and performance shape infection patterns in the parasitic plant Cuscuta chilensis in the Chilean coastal desert.","authors":"Flavia A Montaño-Centellas, Andrea P Loayza, Rodrigo S Rios, Ernesto Gianoli","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag322","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag322","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Host choice shapes infection patterns in parasitic plants, yet how host availability translates into realized host use in natural communities remains poorly understood. We investigated host use by the stem parasite Cuscuta chilensis in the Chilean Coastal Desert, examining how host detection, choice, and infection after contact contribute to field infection patterns and whether host use is associated with parasite performance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted field surveys to document host availability and infection prevalence. Germinated C. chilensis seedlings were used in laboratory and greenhouse experiments to assess host detection and choice, and in greenhouse and field experiments to evaluate infection success after contact. We also quantified flower production and realized germination of C. chilensis parasitizing different host species to assess the fitness consequences of host use.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Host detection differed among species, although discrimination was limited. In greenhouse choice assays, seedlings tended to select living hosts over the control but did not discriminate among host species. Seedlings successfully infected all host species tested in the greenhouse, whereas field infection success was highest on Heliotropium stenophyllum. Myrcianthes coquimbensis had the highest infection prevalence and supported the greatest flower production, whereas seeds produced by parasites growing on H. stenophyllum had the highest realized germination.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Host use by C. chilensis emerges from sequential processes of host encounter, detection, choice, and acceptance that do not consistently favor the same host species. The host associated with greatest flower production differed from that associated with highest realized germination. Thus, no single stage fully explains field host use, and the relationship between host use and performance depends on the fitness component considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of Wind and Insects in the Pollination of Ephedra (Gnetales) in Contrasting Habitats of Northwestern Argentina.","authors":"Antonella Y Díaz Casas, Javier Torréns, Juca A B San Martín, Raúl Pozner, Adriana Aranda-Rickert","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag323","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Species of Ephedra (Gnetales) produce sugar-rich pollination drops on their ovules, which capture wind-borne pollen but may also attract insects. The relative importance of wind and insects as pollen vectors may vary with habitat characteristics. We evaluated the relative contributions of wind and insects to the reproductive success of three Ephedra species-E. multiflora, E. breana and E. triandra-inhabiting contrasting environments in northwestern Argentina, from the open, high-elevation Puna to the structurally complex Monte Desert ecoregion.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted open pollination and insect-exclusion experiments, characterized insect visitor assemblages and visitation frequencies, quantified pollen loads carried by insects, and analysed the sugar composition of pollination drops.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Insect exclusion had no significant effect on reproductive success in any species. The most frequent visitors to female cones were flies, ants and parasitoid wasps. Visitation frequency was similar among species, though visitor assemblages differed in composition. All insect groups carried low pollen loads, whereas total sugar concentration of pollination drops was high in all three species, within the range reported for biotically pollinated plants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results indicate that in all three Ephedra species successful pollination can occur independently of insects. In the open Puna, pollen transport is predominantly mediated by wind whereas in the more sheltered habitats of E. triandra, transfer appears to occur through both wind and gravity. Insects consuming pollination drops behave as opportunistic visitors, with no detectable contribution to reproductive success. This study provides the first experimental comparison of pollination modes among Ephedra species in contrasting habitats and highlights insect-exclusion experiments as the most robust evidence for detecting ambophily, while observational evidence, such as insect visitation records or pollination drop sugar composition, can complement and help interpret these findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conservation Genomics Provides Essential Insights for the Management of Endangered Populations and the Utility of Ex Situ Collections for Species Recovery: A Case Study in Encephalartos latifrons.","authors":"Brian L Dorsey, John Donaldson, Vanessa Handley, Regina Mettey, Caroline Iacuaniello, uPhakamani M'Afrika Xaba, Carin Swart, Christy Powell","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag314","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag314","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Ex situ collections can be reservoirs for endangered species to be used in reintroductions but critical data on the provenance and genetic diversity of these collections is often lacking. For example, while more than 70% of Cycad species are threatened with extinction, many individuals are held in private collections and botanical gardens. However, their utility is hampered by our limited understanding of genetic diversity among wild populations and unknown provenance of many ex situ plants. Conservation genomics can meet both challenges by providing estimates of allelic diversity among both wild and ex situ plants, and by identifying source populations of ex situ collections. We demonstrate this approach with Encephalartos latifrons, a Critically Endangered species occurring at the edge of a close relative, E. longifolius. Recently documented populations could potentially double the number of E. latifrons plants in the wild but are of unknown identity due to complex morphological trait distributions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed genetic structure, genetic diversity, and gene flow among populations. Coancestry was used to assign ex situ individuals to species/population of origin. We also assessed the allelic diversity of in situ populations captured in ex situ collections.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Newly documented populations of Encephalartos do not belong to E. latifrons. Populations are not inbred and genetic diversity is relatively high. Ex situ collections harbor a substantial amount of allelic diversity, but this is not evenly distributed nor redundant across sites. Multiple individuals in ex situ collections were not assigned to their species of record.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This work highlights the promise and pitfalls of using ex situ collections in the restoration of endangered species and the effective role that conservation genomics can play in determining their actual conservation value. Comprehensive genomic analyses are essential to maintain the genetic structure and diversity of wild populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Historical transitions in plant collecting reshape herbarium records in China.","authors":"Jiachen Liu, Silun Chen, Renwu Wu, Peiwen Li, Ke Wang, Bingling Pi","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag321","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag321","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Herbarium records are fundamental resources for biodiversity research, but they are shaped by collector identity and historical conditions. China has experienced a major transition from foreign-dominated to domestically led plant collecting, yet how this transition influenced the formation, spatial coverage, and species composition of herbarium records remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using GBIF herbarium records of vascular plants collected in China from 1740 to 2024, we classified records into three collector-origin categories: domestic, foreign, and collaborative. We compared their temporal trajectories, spatial distributions, first species records, conservation-value composition, and species and spatial coverage.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>Plant collecting in China was dominated by foreign collectors during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Domestic collecting increased rapidly after the 1920s and became the principal source after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. Foreign collectors contributed substantially to early first species records but showed strong spatial concentration. Domestic collecting became the main driver of later species additions and spatial expansion, and covered more threatened species and country endemics. Collaborative collecting was smaller in scale but contributed disproportionately to useful plants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The transition in collector origin reshaped the source structure, spatial coverage, and species composition of Chinese herbarium records. Domestic taxonomy, herbarium infrastructure, and data curation capacity are therefore essential for improving the representativeness and long-term use of national biodiversity data.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent nitrogen-phosphorus allocation strategies across plant organs in Tibetan shrubs.","authors":"Xinru Zhang, Zhenjun Zuo, Guangshuai Cui, Pengfei Ma, Wei Shen, Xinsheng Liu, Lin Zhang","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag316","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The nitrogen (N)-phosphorus (P) scaling exponent reflects key trade-offs in plant nutrient allocation and is critical for understanding plant growth and ecosystem productivity. However, whether N-P scaling differs among organs and its associations with phylogeny, plant functional types and environmental conditions remain unclear, particularly in Tibetan shrublands.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We estimated organ-specific N-P scaling patterns at individual, species and phylogenetic levels using 580 leaf, branch and root samples from 23 shrub species across 77 sites in Tibet. We further tested how exponents differed between functional types and varied along climatic and soil gradients using bootstrapping methods, and quantified the relative importance of functional composition and environmental factors.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>At the individual level, the exponents of leaves (1.36), branches (1.13) and roots (1.35) were higher than most reported global and shrubland estimates, with leaf and root exponents significantly higher than the branch exponent. These relationships remained robust at the species and phylogenetic levels. Deciduous shrubs had higher branch and root exponents than evergreen shrubs, whereas legumes had a lower leaf exponent than non-legumes. Leaf and branch exponents decreased with increasing mean annual temperature, whereas the root exponent increased; all three organ exponents decreased with increasing moisture index and soil total N. Functional-type composition showed the greatest relative importance for leaf and branch exponents, whereas soil total N was most important for roots.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results demonstrate contrasting nutrient-use strategies between above- and belowground organs and highlight the need to incorporate organ-specific variation into stoichiometric models to better predict nutrient allocation under environmental change.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biomass allocation and leaf-root trait coordination of dominant ferns in a subtropical forest.","authors":"Chumin Huang, Shun Zou, Xiaolong Bai, Wangjun Li, Bin He","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag315","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>The coordinated variation between plant biomass allocation and organ functional traits is central to understanding resource-use strategies. However, relevant studies have focused predominantly on angiosperms, and the whole-plant trait coordination structure in ancient fern lineages remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, we simultaneously measured biomass allocation fractions, stoichiometric traits (C, N, P, C:N, C:P, N:P) and morphological traits (SLA, LDMC, etc.) in both leaves and roots of seven co-occurring subtropical forest fern species. Using correlation analyses at the individual and species levels, partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) and Mantel tests, we examined the allocation-stoichiometry-morphology cascade pathway and cross-organ coordination patterns.</p><p><strong>Key results: </strong>The results showed that: (1) a significant pathway exists in leaves, with allocation influencing morphology via stoichiometry-higher leaf biomass investment was associated with lower N and P concentrations and more conservative leaf morphology, consistent with the leaf economics spectrum; (2) in roots, the positive direct effect of allocation on morphology was offset by a negative indirect effect mediated by reduced nutrient concentrations, resulting in a near-zero total effect, supporting the multidimensionality of the root economics space; (3) cross-organ coordination was relatively strong for stoichiometric traits (Mantel's r = 0.69) but weak for morphological traits (r = 0.31), indicating dimension-dependent coordination; (4) the above trait relationships were significant at the individual level but mostly disappeared at the species level, suggesting that intraspecific variation may contribute importantly to community functional patterns.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study reveals a cascade structure of whole-plant trait organization in ferns, provides new evidence for the applicability of the leaf economics spectrum in ancient vascular plants, and highlights the need for experimental validation with a broader sampling scope to establish causality.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From morphological modules to lineage-derived subindividuals: integrating phenotypic, epigenetic and genetic differentiation in plants.","authors":"Naibin Duan, Yumin Ma, Suping Kong, Zezhou Liu, Xinguo Li","doi":"10.1093/aob/mcag312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag312","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Harper's (1977) framing of the plant as a population of semi-autonomous modules remains foundational but predates genomic tools able to test the genetic identity of individual modules. Two further literatures address within-plant heterogeneity largely in parallel: a genetic-mosaicism literature (Gill et al., 1995; Reusch et al., 2021) showing that somatic mutations accumulate within plants, and a subindividual-variation literature (Herrera, 2009; Sobral and Sampedro, 2022) documenting functional consequences of within-plant phenotypic and epigenetic diversity.</p><p><strong>Scope: </strong>We bridge these bodies of work within a single lineage-based framework. We define a plant subindividual as a cell-lineage-derived module with a traceable developmental history and partial autonomy, whose differentiation may be expressed at phenotypic, epigenetic and/or genetic levels; detectable somatic genetic divergence is not required for subindividual status. Drawing on whole-genome and methylome studies of long-lived trees, shrubs and clonal crops, we assess the strength of support at each level, distinguishing evidence for the existence of within-plant heterogeneity from evidence for its effects on module function. In the studies reviewed here, a causal link between somatic variants in signalling genes and module-specific physiological responses remains to be established. We then propose a distinct scaling hypothesis: for responses requiring rapid or pathway-specific signalling, increasing transport distance and vascular sectoriality may raise the relative contribution of local regulation-a testable account of why module autonomy may scale with plant size.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Reframing plant modules as lineage-derived subindividuals yields testable predictions comparing genetic, epigenetic and phenotypic differentiation across life histories-from mainly phenotypic and epigenetic differentiation in short-lived herbs to detectable genetic mosaicism in long-lived trees and clonal crops. The framework connects three lines of research and proposes a testable scaling hypothesis for module autonomy.</p>","PeriodicalId":8023,"journal":{"name":"Annals of botany","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149079545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}