Plasticity comparisons between plants and animals: Concepts and mechanisms
1Centre for Ecological Sciences; Indian Institute of Science; Bangalore, India.
Plant Signaling & Behavior
|June 11, 2009
Summary
Phenotypic plasticity in plants and animals is compared using an evolutionary framework. Differences in mobility and longevity influence plasticity, with insights gained from cross-kingdom comparisons and integrated signal-response mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Comparative physiology
Background:
- Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to adjust traits in response to environmental changes.
- Plants and animals exhibit distinct life history traits like mobility and longevity, potentially impacting plasticity.
- Understanding plasticity is crucial for explaining adaptive evolution across diverse taxa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an integrated update on comparing phenotypic plasticity between plants and animals.
- To propose an evolutionary framework for understanding plasticity from a whole-organism perspective.
- To explore how differences in mobility and longevity shape plastic responses.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing literature on phenotypic plasticity.
- Comparative analysis of plant and animal traits, focusing on mobility and longevity.
- Examination of evolutionary theory and signal-response mechanisms in plasticity.
Main Results:
- Mobility and longevity are key differentiating factors influencing phenotypic plasticity.
- Somatic genetic mosaicism, intra-organismal selection, and genomic instability are relevant to plant plasticity.
- A cross-kingdom phylogenetic approach is suggested over strict plant-animal dichotomies.
Conclusions:
- An integrated approach combining evolutionary theory, history, and signal-response mechanisms offers the most comprehensive insights into phenotypic plasticity.
- Considering physicochemical factors cohesively in signal transduction pathways is essential for understanding plastic responses.
- Comparing unitary and modular organisms can reveal the spectrum of potential plastic adaptations.
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