Characteristics of polyploidy plants? and Pecan inflorescences - תפרחות פקאן

Characteristics of polyploidy plants?

What are some characteristics of polyploidy plants?
Select one:
a. They tend to be bigger and stronger than diploid plants.
b. They tend to be weaker and smaller than diploid plants.
c. They tend to be weaker, but bigger than diploid plants.
d. They tend to be smaller, but stronger than diploid plants.


inflorescence best answer:

Answer by Kevin
Polyploid plants are bigger and can have higher yields than the respective monoploid wild species. These plants can be vulnerable to damage in storms due to the weight of their larger seed production. However not all polyploid have larger seed sets.

Some polyploids like the giant forest bamboos have greater vegetative growth rather than greater reproductive yield of seeds. They are larger and have very strong woody stems.

The bamboo genome has doubled in content or even tripled in chromosome number to be hexaploids. This increase in chromosome also increased the plants potential size. This means an increase in the number of nodes so it can grow taller and an increase in lignin production for stem strength. They are longer living. However the plants have not increased their seed set, they may live many years to bloom once, set seed, and die.

Competition in the forest selected shade tolerant polyploid bamboos with an increased vegetative growth rather than polyploids with an increased flowering.


When polyploids first appear their population displays an array of characters and human selection tends to favor seed set over stem strength. Most crop grasses we are familiar with are polyploids with a vast increase in the size of the inflorescence to produce heavier seed heads with more grain. Humans have selected for larger seed set in domestic grasses like maize or wheat. The heavy head makes the plant vulnerable as the stem strength has not increased to the same extent.

Polyploidy does make for a larger plant but not necessarily a stronger stem with less reproductive yield or greater yield with insufficient stem strength plants. Those characters are open to selection. In the wild population selection may favor individuals with an increase in seed yield balanced with the increased stem strength while humans favor the greatest seed yield and the need to provide cultivation to support the plant.

inflorescence

Pecan inflorescences - תפרחות פקאן


Carya illinoinensis, illinoensis

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