Adaptive transgenerational plasticity in response to novel climate: from individuals to communities (2020-2022)
Vít Latzel, Iris Sammarco, Zuzana Münzbergová
Rapid climate change poses great challenge to all plants. We suggest that transgenerational plasticity is an important mechanism that allows plants for rapid adaptation to novel climate. In the project, we will test the role of transgenerational plasticity in adaptation of plants to warmed climate, intense drought or flooding and/or to elevated CO2 level. Moreover, we will test the adaptiveness of transgenerational plasticity not only at the level of plant individuals but also at the level of their populations and communities. Many plant species reproduce asexually. Because of the lack of meiosis in asexual reproduction, transgenerational adaptation to novel climate might differ between sexual and asexual generations. Therefore, we will test the role of transgenerational adaptation to the novel climate between sexual and asexual offspring of the same parent. Finally, we will test the role of heritable epigenetic variation in adaptation of sexual and asexual offspring to the novel climate using whole genome bisulfite sequencing as well as experimental demethylation.