Understanding the molecular underpinnings of evolutionary adaptations is a central focus of
modern evolutionary biology. Recent studies have uncovered a panoply of complex …

Natural rubber is a unique biopolymer of strategic importance that, in many of its most
significant applications, cannot be replaced by synthetic alternatives. The rubber tree Hevea …

Apomixis, the clonal formation of seeds, is a rare yet widely distributed trait in flowering
plants. We have isolated the PARTHENOGENESIS (PAR) gene from apomictic dandelion …

DNA methylation can cause heritable phenotypic modifications in the absence of changes in
DNA sequence. Environmental stresses can trigger methylation changes and this may have …

The role that epigenetic inheritance can play in adaptation may differ between sexuals and
asexuals because (1) the dynamics of adaptation differ under sexual and asexual …

Polyploidy, the multiplication of chromosome sets above the diploid state, is arguably as
prevalent in plants as any other eukaryotic group. Over the past century, polyploidy has …

Apomixis, asexual reproduction through seeds, has the potential to revolutionize agriculture
if its genetic basis can be elucidated. However, the genetic control of natural apomixis has …

Asexual organisms usually have larger and more northern distributions than their sexual
relatives. This phenomenon, called geographical parthenogenesis, has been controversially …

Somatic mutations are common in plants, and they may accumulate and be passed on to
gametes. The determinants of somatic mutation accumulation include the intraorganismal …

Apomixis, or asexual seed formation, is prevalent in Citrinae via a mechanism termed
nucellar or adventitious embryony. Here, multiple embryos of a maternal genotype form …