Scientists from Switzerland have concluded that trees can inherit information that helps them adapt to changing environmental conditions.
How does the knowledge transfer process take place?
Trees react to any changes in the environment: if drought occurs, they strengthen their root system, and in response to high humidity, they increase the volume of foliage.
Previously, scientists believed that the "life experience" of a tree dies with it.
But it turned out that this is not the case.
“Trees change their genetic code known as methylation. As part of this process, a methyl group is attached to the cytosine. The result is something like training the genome,”the scientists said.
As a result of the experiments carried out, it turned out that the descendants of trees that grew in conditions of constant water shortage are better able to tolerate drought. And trees, whose ancestors had no problems with water, grow better under normal conditions. This proves that trees "pass on" their "life experience" to their descendants through DNA methylation.
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