Moira's blog

Do plants have the genetic capibility to respond to climate change? They might. In experiments with the common European plant Arabidopsis thalianaor or Thale Cress, a team of researchers led by Brown University scientists learned that climate  determines genes that gives the plant the best chance of surviving and reproducing. Animals have an advantage over plants when it comes to climate change: They can move. But a new study led by Brown University researchers identifies the genetic signature in the common European plant Arabidopsis thaliana that governs the plant’s fitness — its ability to survive and reproduce — in different climates. The researchers further find that climate in large measure influences the suite of genes passed on to Arabidopsis to increase its survival and reproduction. The set of genes determining fitness varies depends on the climate, the team reports. This is the first study to show evolutionary adaptation for Arabidopsis thaliana on a geographical scale and to link it to climate.

The team is now tracking more than 75,000 spiecies of plants from the arctic circle the the mediteranian. The team gathered plants from a variety of native climates and grew some of each in our four widely distributed European garden sites. They shipped their harvested plants back to Brown and began the laborious task of counting fruits on these plants. In the end, they were able to assemble a very large and comprehensive dataset that gives us new insight into what it takes for a plant to be succesful in nature under a broad range of climate conditions. They also found that the genetic basis of survival and reproduction is almost entirely different in different regions, which suggests that evolutionary adaptation to one climate may not always result in a poor performance in another climates.

I thought this article was interesting because with global warming and climate change plants and animals are being affected and it is interesting that plants are able to adapt to there surroundings. It is also cool how plants are able to survive with out being able to physically move from place to place.