Botanical Journal of the Linnean SocietyMore Press Releases
related to this journal - Press Release - About Journal Prickly
Holly Reveals Ability to Adapt Genetics to Environmental Change
Prickly holly leaves are a traditional Christmas decoration,
from wreaths adorning homes, to greeting card scenes. Yet, look
closer at a holly tree and while some leaves are prickly, others
are not. Scientists writing in the Botanical Journal of the
Linnean Society believe variations within a single tree are the
combined result of herbivore activity and molecular responses to
environmental change. “The ability of an organism to change its
characteristics in response to environmental variations is known
as phenotypic plasticity and it is a key driving factor in the
evolution of a species,” said Dr Carlos Herrera from National
Research Council of Spain (CSIC) in Seville. “In plants this is
often seen in eye-catching changes to leaves and flowers related
to variable growing conditions. Every gardener knows that leaves
produced