Some Plants Regenerate by Duplicating Their DNA

     Why is it that some plants are able to regrow after losing plant matter?

     Some herbaceous plants, after losing plant matter, are able to duplicate their genome through DNA replication. By doing this, these plants can regenerate lost plant matter. However, these plants can sometimes overcompensate for this lost plant matter, eventually becoming more fertile and generating more plant matter than they originally would. In addition, plants that had more active genome replication would rebound more robustly after being damaged. Scientists attribute this fact to the idea that genome replication is advantageous in helping plants overcome adversity. Furthermore, the relationship between regeneration and DNA replication was explored in an experiment crossing plants that did not have the ability to duplicate their genome with those that did.

                                      

      However, it was found that the relationship between DNA replication and regeneration persevered throughout generations of plants, and that plants that did not have the ability to regenerate would be able to if their capability to replicate DNA was enhanced. It was concluded that factors that promote cell growth, such as proteins, are created more often if genome duplication is increased.

     I found this article to be extremely interesting because it shows a direct correlation between DNA replication and regeneration. The concept of regeneration itself is intriguing, and reading this article helps develop a deeper understanding of why it occurs in some species and not others.    

Source: Some Plants Regenerate by Duplicating Their DNA