Sources and consequences of phenotypic and genotypic plasticity in flowering plants

Abstract

Plants possess a characteristic life cycle with an alternation of haploid and diploid generations, continual somatic organogenesis, and no germ line. There is a close interrelationship between phenotypic plasticity in response to a variable environment, mechanisms generating heritable changes, and cell fate determination during embryogenesis and somatic growth. Gain-of-function mutations may make a substantial contribution to diversity in angiosperm morphology and biochemistry.