Plants exploit phenotypic plasticity to adapt their growth and development to prevailing environmental conditions. Interpretation of light and temperature signals is aided by the circadian system, which provides a temporal context. Phenotypic plasticity provides a selective and competitive advantage in nature but is obstructive during large-scale, intensive agricultural practices since economically important traits (including vegetative growth and flowering time) can vary widely depending on local environmental conditions. This prevents accurate prediction of harvesting times and produces a variable crop. In this study, we sought to restrict phenotypic plasticity and circadian regulation by manipulating signaling systems that govern plants’ responses to environmental signals. Mathematical modeling of plant growth and development predicted reduced plant responses to changing environments when circadian and light signaling pathways were manipulated. We tested this prediction by utilizing a constitutively active allele of the plant photoreceptor phytochrome B, along with disruption of the circadian system via mutation of We found that these manipulations produced plants that are less responsive to light and temperature cues and thus fail to anticipate dawn. These engineered plants have uniform vegetative growth and flowering time, demonstrating how phenotypic plasticity can be limited while maintaining plant productivity. This has significant implications for future agriculture in both open fields and controlled environments.

中文翻译：

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拟南芥光感应和昼夜节律信号的操纵限制了表型可塑性以响应不断变化的环境条件


植物利用表型可塑性来使其生长和发育适应当前的环境条件。昼夜节律系统有助于解释光和温度信号，该系统提供了时间背景。表型可塑性在自然界中提供了选择性和竞争优势，但在大规模、集约化农业实践中却具有阻碍性，因为经济上重要的性状（包括营养生长和开花时间）可能会根据当地环境条件而有很大差异。这妨碍了对收割时间的准确预测并产生了不稳定的作物。在这项研究中，我们试图通过操纵控制植物对环境信号反应的信号系统来限制表型可塑性和昼夜节律调节。植物生长和发育的数学模型预测，当昼夜节律和光信号通路受到操纵时，植物对环境变化的反应会减弱。我们通过利用植物光感受器光敏色素 B 的组成型活性等位基因，以及通过突变破坏昼夜节律系统来测试这一预测。我们发现，这些操作产生的植物对光和温度线索的反应较弱，因此无法预测黎明。这些工程植物具有均匀的营养生长和开花时间，展示了如何在保持植物生产力的同时限制表型可塑性。这对未来开放田地和受控环境中的农业具有重大影响。