Plant epigenetic studies have revealed that developmental or environmental events can trigger both local and global epigenetic remodeling. Plants life cycles display great diversity, from short sexual cycles of annuals to the clonal persistence of invasive weeds, and to the long lives of forest species. Plants are sessile and must adapt to their varying environment. Epigenetic changes can result in mitotically and even meiotically persistent states that impact phenotype and could contribute to its plasticity. Mitotically stable changes alone have great importance for large and long-lived clones that encounter great spatial and temporal environmental variation. For plants with shorter cycles, both mitotic and meiotically persistent changes could play a role in fitness, particularly at a time of accelerated climate change. The challenge is to understand the mechanisms that trigger remodeling, their action, their evolutionary role, and their potential in breeding. We invite articles that address how different triggers influence the formation of new epigenetic states.
Keywords:
Transposon, Abiotic stress, Hormone, Tissue culture, Plant pathogen, Herbivory, DNA methylation
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Plant epigenetic studies have revealed that developmental or environmental events can trigger both local and global epigenetic remodeling. Plants life cycles display great diversity, from short sexual cycles of annuals to the clonal persistence of invasive weeds, and to the long lives of forest species. Plants are sessile and must adapt to their varying environment. Epigenetic changes can result in mitotically and even meiotically persistent states that impact phenotype and could contribute to its plasticity. Mitotically stable changes alone have great importance for large and long-lived clones that encounter great spatial and temporal environmental variation. For plants with shorter cycles, both mitotic and meiotically persistent changes could play a role in fitness, particularly at a time of accelerated climate change. The challenge is to understand the mechanisms that trigger remodeling, their action, their evolutionary role, and their potential in breeding. We invite articles that address how different triggers influence the formation of new epigenetic states.
Keywords:
Transposon, Abiotic stress, Hormone, Tissue culture, Plant pathogen, Herbivory, DNA methylation
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.