TRAIN Scholar James Head's Blog

 I feel like I just binge watched the ending of several amazing shows. I loved everyone's  presentations. I have been anxious all semester to see the results of all these interesting  projects. There were several surprise endings, which I loved. They are all a good reminder of  how fragile and complex life is. I am off to ASU next semester, and I would like to thank all  of you for your support in helping me to get there. Thank you also for sharing your time and  knowledge, which has made my own life infinitely more interesting and fulfilling. Best  wishes, and may your journeys be spectacular.

  Plants also have an epigenome. Like our own, theirs can be altered by climate and microbes. Gene expression is changed to adapt to available nutrients, water, sun, disease, helpful microbes (fungi, etc.), immediate plant population (over-crowding), and more. Because some plants have more than one type of reproductive cycle, the parts of the epigenome that are passed on may vary. In humans, only the mothers epigenome is passed on. In plants, they may pass on both sets, depending on reproduction type. These changes can affect short term survival, long term survival of one plant, or long term survival of a population of plants. Understanding these processes could greatly impact our ability to grow healthy plants in a sustainable fashion. Here is an interesting article for more information: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/20/7457/htm.