Tree's Leaves Genetically Different From Its Roots

Well what they are really saying is that the upper parts of a tree can diverge from each other and from their root stocks via natural methods.

Any orchard owner knows that its easy to graft dissimilar branches on a common root stock, producing, for example, two different types of apples from the same tree. Its easy, and farmers have been doing it for years. Who knows where this idea arose.

Now it turns out that nature can do roughly the same thing, without all the cutting and splicing, but rather, by gene mutation or cross pollination or what ever.

Clearly every seed germinates to a single plant, but over time, it appears that significant divergence can take place on a single living tree. This might be a significant evolutionary advantage, as some branches may survive frost, drought, or pests better than other branches. A built in diversity in a single tree.

Perhaps we have to start thinking of some of these trees as colonies of organisms rather than a single individual.

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/Xlen9yA2tvc/trees-leaves-genetically-different-from-its-roots

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