Epigenetic Mechanisms of Tree Responses to Climatic Changes

Abstract

Forest trees are complex perennial organisms that are adapted to the local environment in the results of prevailing climate conditions in population history. Because they lead a sedentary lifestyle, plants are exposed to various environmental stimuli, such as changes which can lead to the rapid adjustment or failure of their defence mechanisms. As forests play a key role in environment homeostasis and are the source of many products, it is crucial to estimate the role of forest trees’ plasticity mechanisms in the face of the climate change. Fast epigenetic adjustment is the basis for surviving climate fluctuations, however the question is whether this mechanism will be also efficient if climate fluctuations increase. Epigenetic modifications enable rapid reactions to the inducing stimulus by establishing chromatin patterns and manipulating gene expression without affecting the DNA itself. This work aimed to gather information about the epigenetic mechanisms of tree responses to changing environmental conditions, in order to summarise what is known so far and emphasize the significance of the discussed issue. Applying this knowledge in the future to study the interactions between climate change and gene regulation at the levels of plant development could generate answers to questions about the limitations of plasticity of plant adaptation to changing environment. We still know very little about how organisms, especially trees, cope with climate change and we believe that this overview will encourage researchers to fill this gap in the knowledge, and that results will be applied in improving defensive capacity of this ecologically and economically important species.