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Flowering Time (flowering + time)
Selected AbstractsTime , size tradeoffs: a phylogenetic comparative study of flowering time, plant height and seed mass in a north-temperate floraOIKOS, Issue 3 2008Kjell Bolmgren Parents face a timing problem as to when they should begin devoting resources from their own growth and survival to mating and offspring development. Seed mass and number, as well as maternal survival via plant size, are dependent on time for development. The time available in the favorable season will also affect the size of the developing juveniles and their survival through the unfavorable season. Flowering time may thus represent the outcome of such a time partitioning problem. We analyzed correlations between flowering onset time, seed mass, and plant height in a north-temperate flora, using both cross-species comparisons and phylogenetic comparative methods. Among perennial herbs, flowering onset time was negatively correlated with seed mass (i.e. plants with larger seeds started flowering earlier) while flowering onset time was positively correlated with plant height. Neither of these correlations was found among woody plants. Among annual plants, flowering onset time was positively correlated with seed mass. Cross-species and phylogenetically informed analyses largely agreed, except that flowering onset time was also positively correlated with plant height among annuals in the cross-species analysis. The different signs of the correlations between flowering onset time and seed mass (compar. gee regression coefficient=,7.8) and flowering onset time and plant height (compar. gee regression coefficient=+30.5) for perennial herbs, indicate that the duration of the growth season may underlie a tradeoff between maternal size and offspring size in perennial herbs, and we discuss how the partitioning of the season between parents and offspring may explain the association between early flowering and larger seed mass among these plants. [source] Ecological implications of plants' ability to tell the timeECOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 6 2009Víctor Resco Abstract The circadian clock (the endogenous mechanism that anticipates diurnal cycles) acts as a central coordinator of plant activity. At the molecular and organism level, it regulates key traits for plant fitness, including seed germination, gas exchange, growth and flowering, among others. In this article, we explore current evidence on the effect of the clock for the scales of interest to ecologists. We begin by synthesizing available knowledge on the effect of the clock on biosphere,atmosphere interactions and observe that, at least in the systems where it has been tested, the clock regulates gas exchange from the leaf to the ecosystem level, and we discuss its implications for estimates of the carbon balance. Then, we analyse whether incorporating the action of the clock may help in elucidating the effects of climate change on plant distributions. Circadian rhythms are involved in regulating the range of temperatures a species can survive and affects plant interactions. Finally, we review the involvement of the clock in key phenological events, such as flowering time and seed germination. Because the clock may act as a common mechanism affecting many of the diverse branches of ecology, our ultimate goal is to stimulate further research into this pressing, yet unexplored, topic. [source] Invasive mutualisms and the structure of plant,pollinator interactions in the temperate forests of north-west Patagonia, ArgentinaJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 1 2006CAROLINA L. MORALES Summary 1Alien species may form plant,animal mutualistic complexes that contribute to their invasive potential. Using multivariate techniques, we examined the structure of a plant,pollinator web comprising both alien and native plants and flower visitors in the temperate forests of north-west Patagonia, Argentina. Our main objective was to assess whether plant species origin (alien or native) influences the composition of flower visitor assemblages. We also examined the influence of other potential confounding intrinsic factors such as flower symmetry and colour, and extrinsic factors such as flowering time, site and habitat disturbance. 2Flowers of alien and native plant species were visited by a similar number of species and proportion of insects from different orders, but the composition of the assemblages of flower-visiting species differed between alien and native plants. 3The influence of plant species origin on the composition of flower visitor assemblages persisted after accounting for other significant factors such as flowering time, bearing red corollas, and habitat disturbance. This influence was at least in part determined by the fact that alien flower visitors were more closely associated with alien plants than with native plants. The main native flower visitors were, on average, equally associated with native and alien plant species. 4In spite of representing a minor fraction of total species richness (3.6% of all species), alien flower visitors accounted for > 20% of all individuals recorded on flowers. Thus, their high abundance could have a significant impact in terms of pollination. 5The mutualistic web of alien plants and flower-visiting insects is well integrated into the overall community-wide pollination web. However, in addition to their use of the native biota, invasive plants and flower visitors may benefit from differential interactions with their alien partners. The existence of these invader complexes could contribute to the spread of aliens into novel environments. [source] Pre-dispersal predation of Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) seedJOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2005ALOIS HONEK Summary 1Pre-dispersal predation of seeds of Asteraceae has been studied in species where ripening seed is present on plants for long periods but rarely in those where seed maturation is ephemeral and density of consumers is therefore unlikely to keep pace with changes in seed availability. 2We therefore followed predation of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) seeds by the larvae of Glocianus punctiger and Olibrus bicolor and predicted that both abundance of seed consumers and seed damage will be indirectly proportional to inflorescence availability, and that overall seed damage will be less than in species with longer lived inflorescences. 3We counted the number of dandelion capitula m,2, number of larvae capitulum,1 and percentage of damaged seeds at 10 sites, where the flowering time and densities of dandelions differed. The counts were made in 2002 and 2003, at half-weekly (April,May) or weekly (June,August) intervals. 4Abundance of both species of consumer varied among dandelion patches, and with change in availability of dandelion capitula. Numbers of larvae capitulum,1 were high early and late, when few capitula were available, but decreased at the time of peak flowering when there were many capitula. Production of ready-to-pupate larvae m,2 of a species at a site was similar in successive years, but values for O. bicolor and G. punctiger were not correlated. 5Seed damage paralleled the abundance of consumer larvae, with early and late flowers suffering most. A linear relationship correcting for lost seeds, predicted 30% damage when there were five larvae capitulum,1, below levels reported for species of Asteraceae with persistent inflorescences. 6The intensity of pre-dispersal seed predation is directly proportional to the abundance of seed consumer species and indirectly proportional to the availability of maturing capitula. Consequently, in species with ephemeral, synchronized flowering, where seed is available for only a short time, the majority of plants lose only a small proportion to predators. Although those flowering earlier or later than the peak will suffer a much higher risk, the low overall level of damage is unlikely to influence population biology. [source] Reciprocal hybrid formation of Spartina in San Francisco BayMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2000C. K. Anttila Abstract Diversity in the tRNALEU1 intron of the chloroplast genome of Spartina was used to study hybridization of native California cordgrass, Spartina foliosa, with S. alterniflora, introduced to San Francisco Bay , 25 years ago. We sequenced 544 bases of the tRNALEU1 intron and found three polymorphic sites, a pyrimidine transition at site 126 and transversions at sites 382 and 430. Spartina from outside of San Francisco Bay, where hybridization between these species is impossible, gave cpDNA genotypes of the parental species. S. foliosa had a single chloroplast haplotype, CCT, and this was unique to California cordgrass. S. alterniflora from the native range along the Atlantic coast of North America had three chloroplast haplotypes, CAT, TAA, and TAT. Hybrids were discriminated by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) phenotypes developed in a previous study. We found one hybrid that contained a cpDNA haplotype unknown in either parental species (TCT). The most significant finding was that hybridization proceeds in both directions, assuming maternal inheritance of cpDNA; 26 of the 36 hybrid Spartina plants from San Francisco Bay contained the S. foliosa haplotype, nine contained haplotypes of the invading S. alterniflora, and one had the cpDNA of unknown origin. Furthermore, cpDNA of both parental species was distributed throughout the broad range of RAPD phenotypes, suggesting ongoing contributions to the hybrid swarm from both. The preponderance of S. foliosa cpDNA has entered the hybrid swarm indirectly, we propose, from F1s that backcross to S. foliosa. Flowering of the native precedes by several weeks that of the invading species, with little overlap between the two. Thus, F1 hybrids would be rare and sired by the last S. foliosa pollen upon the first S. alterniflora stigmas. The native species produces little pollen and this has low viability. An intermediate flowering time of hybrids as well as pollen that is more vigourous and abundant than that of the native species would predispose F1s to high fitness in a vast sea of native ovules. Thus, spread of hybrids to other S. foliosa marshes could be an even greater threat to the native species than introductions of alien S. alterniflora. [source] A physiological overview of the genetics of flowering time controlPLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL, Issue 1 2005Georges Bernier Summary Physiological studies on flowering time control have shown that plants integrate several environmental signals. Predictable factors, such as day length and vernalization, are regarded as ,primary', but clearly interfere with, or can even be substituted by, less predictable factors. All plant parts participate in the sensing of these interacting factors. In the case of floral induction by photoperiod, long-distance signalling is known to occur between the leaves and the shoot apical meristem (SAM) via the phloem. In the long-day plant, Sinapis alba, this long-distance signalling has also been shown to involve the root system and to include sucrose, nitrate, glutamine and cytokinins, but not gibberellins. In Arabidopsis thaliana, a number of genetic pathways controlling flowering time have been identified. Models now extend beyond ,primary' controlling factors and show an ever-increasing number of cross-talks between pathways triggered or influenced by various environmental factors and hormones (mainly gibberellins). Most of the genes involved are preferentially expressed in meristems (the SAM and the root tip), but, surprisingly, only a few are expressed preferentially or exclusively in leaves. However, long-distance signalling from leaves to SAM has been shown to occur in Arabidopsis during the induction of flowering by long days. In this review, we propose a model integrating physiological data and genes activated by the photoperiodic pathway controlling flowering time in early-flowering accessions of Arabidopsis. This model involves metabolites, hormones and gene products interacting as long- or short-distance signalling molecules. [source] Effect of the Rht-D1 dwarfing locus on Fusarium head blight rating in three segregating populations of winter wheatPLANT BREEDING, Issue 4 2008H.-H. Voss Abstract Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the major fungal diseases in wheat throughout the world. To control FHB severity, breeding genetically resistant varieties is thought to be the most promising strategy. In wheat breeding programmes, short cultivars predominantly carrying the Norin 10 derived semi-dwarfing allele Rht-D1b (Rht2) are preferred worldwide because of higher achievable grain yields and lower risk of lodging. This study was conducted to determine the influence of different alleles at the Rht-D1 locus on FHB reaction. Three winter wheat populations were produced by crossing rather susceptible varieties ,Biscay', ,Pirat' and ,Rubens' carrying mutant-type allele Rht-D1b with the more resistant varieties ,Apache', ,Romanus' and ,History' containing the Rht-D1a wild-type allele (rht2). The 190, 216 and 103 progeny of the F4 -derived populations were assayed for the presence of Rht-D1a or Rht-D1b, plant height, and mean FHB rating after spray inoculation at flowering time with a highly aggressive isolate of Fusarium culmorum. Comparably, high mean FHB severities ranging from 28% to 49% for all population × environment combinations were achieved, with significant genotypic variation for FHB rating and plant height within all populations. Both traits were negatively correlated with r ranging from ,0.48 to ,0.61 in the complete populations. However, within the subpopulations homozygous for one or other height allele these correlations decreased considerably. The Rht-D1b semi-dwarfing allele resulted in 7,18% shorter plants, depending on the population, but a considerably increased FHB reaction of 22,53%. Nevertheless, significant genotypic variance for FHB resistance remained in all tested Rht-D1b subpopulations indicating that selection for moderately FHB resistant genotypes within agronomically beneficial Rht-D1b genotypes is still feasible. [source] Relation among plant growth, carbohydrates and flowering time in the Arabidopsis Landsberg erecta × Kondara recombinant inbred line populationPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 8 2010MOHAMED E. EL-LITHY ABSTRACT Arabidopsis thaliana natural variation was used to study plant performance viewed as the accumulation of photo-assimilates, their allocation and storage, in relation to other growth-related features and flowering-related traits. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using recombinant inbred lines derived from the cross between Landsberg erecta (originating from Poland) and Kondara (originating from Tajikistan) grown on hydroponics, revealed QTLs for the different aspects of plant growth-related traits, sugar and starch contents and flowering-related traits. Co-locations of QTLs for these different aspects were detected at different regions, mainly at the ER locus; the top of chromosomes 3, 4 and 5; and the bottom of chromosome 5. Increased plant growth was associated with early flowering and leaf transitory starch, and correlated negatively with the levels of soluble sugar at early phases of development. From the significant correlations and the co-locations of the QTLs for these aspects, we conclude that there is a complex relationship between plant growth-related traits, carbohydrate content and flowering-related traits. [source] Genome-wide analyses of the transcriptomes of salicylic acid-deficient versus wild-type plants uncover Pathogen and Circadian Controlled 1 (PCC1) as a regulator of flowering time in ArabidopsisPLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 1 2010SILVIA SEGARRA ABSTRACT Salicylic acid (SA) has been characterized as an activator of pathogen-triggered resistance of plants. SA also regulates developmental processes such as thermogenesis in floral organs and stress-induced flowering. To deepen our knowledge of the mechanism underlying SA regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis, we compared the transcriptomes of SA-deficient late flowering genotypes with wild-type plants. Down- or up-regulated genes in SA-deficient plants were screened for responsiveness to ultraviolet (UV)-C light, which accelerates flowering in Arabidopsis. Among them, only Pathogen and Circadian Controlled 1 (PCC1) was up-regulated by UV-C light through a SA-dependent process. Moreover, UV-C light-activated expression of PCC1 was also dependent on the flowering activator CONSTANS (CO). PCC1 gene has a circadian-regulated developmental pattern of expression with low transcript levels after germination that increased abruptly by day 10. RNAi plants with very low expression of PCC1 gene were late flowering, defective in UV-C light acceleration of flowering and contained FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) transcript levels below 5% of that detected in wild-type plants. Although PCC1 seems to function between CO and FT in the photoperiod-dependent flowering pathway, transgenic plants overexpressing a Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR)-fused version of CO strongly activated FT but not PCC1 after dexamethasone treatment. [source] Intrinsic cost of delayed flowering in annual plants: negative correlation between flowering time and reproductive effortPLANT SPECIES BIOLOGY, Issue 2-3 2002HIROSHI KUDOH First page of article [source] ORTH/VIM proteins that regulate DNA methylation are functional ubiquitin E3 ligasesTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008Edward Kraft Summary Appropriate methylation of genomes is essential for gene regulation. Here, we describe the six-member ORTHRUS (ORTH) gene family of Arabidopsis thaliana that plays a role in DNA methylation in vivo. ORTH1, ORTH5 are predicted to encode proteins that contain one plant homeodomain (PHD), two really interesting new gene (RING) domains, and one set ring associated (SRA) domain, whereas ORTHlike-1 encodes a protein with only one RING and SRA domain. cDNAs for ORTH1, ORTH2, ORTH5 and ORTHlike-1 were isolated, and when expressed as glutathione- S -transferase (GST) fusion proteins, were capable of promoting ubiquitylation in vitro with the E2 AtUBC11. ORTH1 promotes ubiquitylation when paired with additional AtUBC8 family members. ORTH1 proteins with substitutions in metal,ligand binding residues in each ORTH1 RING domain individually, and ORTH1 truncation derivatives lacking one or both RING domains, were tested for their ability to catalyze ubiquitylation in vitro. In these assays, either ORTH1 RING domain is capable of promoting ubiquitylation. The PHD alone is not active as an E3 ligase, nor is it required for ligase activity. GFP-ORTH1 and GFP-ORTH2 are nuclear-localized in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Overexpression of ORTH1 or ORTH2 in Arabidopsis leads to an altered flowering time. Inspection of DNA methylation at FWA and Cen180 repeats revealed hypomethylation when ORTH proteins were overexpressed. Once initiated, a late-flowering phenotype persisted in the absence of the ORTH transgene, consistent with epigenetic effects at FWA. We conclude that ORTH proteins are E3 ligases mediating DNA methylation status in vivo. [source] mRNA metabolism of flowering-time regulators in wild-type Arabidopsis revealed by a nuclear cap binding protein mutant, abh1THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2007Josef M. Kuhn Summary The precise regulation of RNA metabolism has crucial roles in numerous developmental and physiological processes such as the induction of flowering in plants. Here we report the identification of processes associated with mRNA metabolism of flowering-time regulators in wild-type Arabidopsis plants, which were revealed by an early flowering mutation, abh1, in an Arabidopsis nuclear mRNA cap-binding protein. By using abh1 as an enhancer of mRNA metabolism events, we identify non-coding polyadenylated cis natural antisense transcripts (cis-NATs) at the CONSTANS locus in wild-type plants. Our analyses also reveal a regulatory function of FLC intron 1 during transcript maturation in wild type. Moreover, transcripts encoding the FLM MADS box transcription factor are subject to premature intronic polyadenylation in wild type. In each case, abh1 showed altered patterns in RNA metabolism in these events compared with wild type. Together, abh1 enhances steps in the RNA metabolism that allowed us to identify novel molecular events of three key flowering-time regulators in wild-type plants, delivering important insights for further dissecting RNA-based mechanisms regulating flowering time in Arabidopsis. [source] The Arabidopsis SPA1 gene is required for circadian clock function and photoperiodic floweringTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 5 2006Masaki Ishikawa Summary Arabidopsis phytochrome A (phyA) regulates not only seed germination and seedling de-etiolation but also circadian rhythms and flowering time in adult plants. The SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 (SPA1) acts as a negative regulator of phyA-mediated de-etiolation of young seedlings, but its roles in adult plants have not yet been described. Here, we show that SPA1 is involved in regulating circadian rhythms and flowering time in plants. Under constant light, the abundance of SPA1 protein exhibited circadian regulation, whereas under constant darkness, SPA1 protein levels remained unchanged. These results indicate that the SPA1 protein is controlled by the circadian clock and light signals. In addition, the spa1-3 mutation slightly shortened the circadian period of CCA1, TOC1/PRR1 and SPA1 transcript accumulation under constant light. Phenotypic analysis showed that the spa1-3 mutant flowers early under short-day (SD) but not long-day (LD) conditions. Consistent with this finding, transcripts encoding flowering locus T (FT), which promotes flowering, increased in spa1-3 under only SD conditions, although the CONSTANS (CO) transcript level was not affected under either SD nor LD conditions. Our results indicate that SPA1 not only negatively controls phyA-mediated signaling in seedlings, but also regulates circadian rhythms and flowering time in plants. [source] The CCAAT binding factor can mediate interactions between CONSTANS-like proteins and DNATHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Orna Ben-Naim Summary CONSTANS-Like (COL) proteins are plant-specific nuclear regulators of gene expression but do not contain a known DNA-binding motif. We tested whether a common DNA-binding protein can deliver these proteins to specific cis-acting elements. We screened for proteins that interact with two members of a subgroup of COL proteins. These COL proteins were Tomato COL1 (TCOL1), which does not seem to be involved in the control of flowering time, and the Arabidopsis thaliana CONSTANS (AtCO) protein which mediates photoperiodic induction of flowering. We show that the C-terminal plant-specific CCT (CO, CO-like, TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1) domain of both proteins binds the trimeric CCAAT binding factor (CBF) via its HAP5/NF-YC component. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated that TCOL is recruited to the CCAAT motifs of the yeast CYC1 and HEM1 promoters by HAP5. In Arabidopsis, each of the three CBF components is encoded by several different genes that are highly transcribed. Under warm long days, high levels of expression of a tomato HAP5 (THAP5a) gene can reduce the flowering time of Arabidopsis. A mutation in the CCT domain of TCOL1 disrupts the interaction with THAP5 and the analogous mutation in AtCO impairs its function and delays flowering. CBFs are therefore likely to recruit COL proteins to their DNA target motifs in planta. [source] AtMBD9: a protein with a methyl-CpG-binding domain regulates flowering time and shoot branching in ArabidopsisTHE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006Mingsheng Peng Summary The functional characterization of mammalian proteins containing a methyl-CpG-binding domain (MBD) has revealed that MBD proteins can decipher the epigenetic information encoded by DNA methylation, and integrate DNA methylation, modification of chromatin structure and repression of gene expression. The Arabidopsis genome has 13 putative genes encoding MBD proteins, and no specific biological function has been defined for any AtMBD genes. In this study, we identified three T-DNA insertion mutant alleles at the AtMBD9 locus, and found that all of them exhibited obvious developmental abnormalities. First, the atmbd9 mutants flowered significantly earlier than wild-type plants. The expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a major repressor of Arabidopsis flowering, was markedly attenuated by the AtMBD9 mutations. This FLC transcription reduction was associated with a significant decrease in the acetylation level in histone H3 and H4 of FLC chromatin in the atmbd9 mutants. Secondly, the atmbd9 mutants produced more shoot branches by increasing the outgrowth of axillary buds when compared with wild-type plants. The two known major factors controlling the outgrowth of axillary buds in Arabidopsis, auxin and the more axillary growth (MAX) pathway, were found not to be involved in producing this enhanced shoot branching phenotype in atmbd9 mutants, indicating that AtMBD9 may regulate a novel pathway to control shoot branching. This pathway is not related to FLC expression as over-expression of FLC in atmbd9-2 restored its flowering time to one similar to that of the wild type, but did not alter the shoot branching phenotype. [source] Phenotyping approaches for physiological breeding and gene discovery in wheatANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009M. Reynolds Abstract Conceptual models of drought-adaptive traits have been used in breeding to accumulate complementary physiological traits (PT) in selected progeny, resulting in distribution of advanced lines to rain-fed environments worldwide by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Key steps in PT breeding at CIMMYT include characterisation of crossing block lines for stress adaptive mechanisms, strategic crossing among parents that encompass as many target traits as possible and early generation selection (EGS) of bulks for canopy temperature (CT). The approach has been successful using both elite × elite crosses as well as three way crosses involving stress adapted landraces. Other EGS techniques that are amenable to high throughput include measurement of spectral reflectance indices and stomatal aperture-related traits. Their genetic- and cost-effectiveness are supported by realisation of genetic yield gains in response to trait selection, and by economic analysis, respectively. Continual reselection within restricted gene pools is likely to lead to diminishing returns, however, exotic parents can be used to introduce new allelic diversity. Examples include landraces from the primary gene pool, and products of inter-specific hybridisation with the secondary gene pool consisting of closely related wheat genomes. Both approaches have been successful in introducing stress-adaptive traits. The main problem with knowing which genetic resource to use in wide-crossing is the uncertainty with which phenotypic expression can be extrapolated from one genome/genepool to another because of their unimproved or undomesticated genetic backgrounds. Nonetheless, their PT expression can be measured and used as a basis for investing in crossing or wide crossing. Discovering the genetic basis of PT is highly complex because putative QTLs may interact with environment and genetic background, including genes of major effect. Detection of QTLs was improved in mapping populations where flowering time was controlled, while new mapping populations have been designed by screening potential parents that do not contrast in the Rht, Ppd and Vrn alleles. Association genetics mapping is another approach that can be employed for gene discovery using exclusively agronomically improved material, thereby minimising the probability of identifying yield QTLs whose alleles have been already improved by conventional breeding. [source] Genome redundancy and plasticity within ancient and recent Brassica crop speciesBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 4 2004LEWIS N. LUKENS The crop species within the genus Brassica have highly replicated genomes. Three base ,diploid' species, Brassica oleracea, B. nigra and B. rapa, are likely ancient polyploids, and three derived allopolyploid species, B. carinata, B. juncea and B. napus, are created from the interspecific hybridization of these base genomes. The base Brassica genome is thought to have hexaploid ancestry, and both recent and ancient polyploidization events have been proposed to generate a large number of genome rearrangements and novel genetic variation for important traits. Here, we revisit and refine these hypotheses. We have examined the B. oleracea linkage map using the Arabidopsis thaliana genome sequence as a template and suggest that there is strong evidence for genome replication and rearrangement within the base Brassicas, but less evidence for genome triplication. We show that novel phenotypic variation within the base Brassicas can be achieved by replication of a single gene, BrFLC, that acts additively to influence flowering time. Within the derived allopolyploids, intergenomic heterozygosity is associated with higher seed yields. Some studies have reported that de novo genomic variation occurs within derived polyploid genomes, whereas other studies have not detected these changes. We discuss reasons for these different findings. Large translocations and tetrasomic inheritance can explain some but not all genomic changes within the polyploids. Transpositions and other small-scale sequence changes probably also have contributed to genomic novelty. Our results have shown that the Brassica genomes are remarkably plastic, and that polyploidy generates novel genetic variation through gene duplication, intergenomic heterozygosity and perhaps epigenetic change. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 82, 665,674. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||