{"doi":"10.1002/ajb2.16294","title":"Ontogenetic changes in ecophysiology are an understudied yet important component of plant adaptation","abstract":"Plants rely on adjustments in growth and development to respond to environmental stimuli. Developmental transitions, including germination, vegetative phase change, reproductive transition, and senescence, modify the growth patterns of plants and their requirements for survival. Consequently, the timing of developmental transitions and the developmental stage at which a plant encounters environmental stress hold significant implications for the performance of individuals, population dynamics, and community dynamics. If developmental phases, and the timing of transitions between them, are key to plant success in fluctuating environments, then understanding ontogenetic changes in plant environmental interactions is necessary to predict how plants will react to environmental stress and novel environments. Geneticists and molecular biologists have discovered many mechanisms governing developmental transitions, while developmental biologists have studied how plant form changes across ontogeny and ecologists have studied how plant form alters organismal interactions. However, there has been insufficient integration of these fields of study, hindering a comprehensive understanding of how plant development contributes to environmental adaptation and acclimation. Links among plant development, plant fitness, and ecosystem functioning lead us to hypothesize that selection on the timing of developmental transitions to align stress-tolerant developmental phases with periods of environmental stress is more prevalent than currently understood. Phase-specific differences in environmental tolerance could contribute to genotypic and species-specific adaptations to climate. As depicted in Figure 1, two genotypes (or species) labeled “A” and “B” exhibit different patterns of phase-specific stress tolerance throughout ontogeny. Depending on the environment (Env. 1 or 2) they inhabit, they will experience harsh environmental conditions at different times. Genotypes (or species) that align stress-tolerant developmental phases with periods of harsh conditions (e.g., genotype “A” in Env. 1) are thus expected to have increased fitness. This example illustrates that the alignment between stress-tolerant developmental phases and harsh environmental conditions can arise through changes in developmental timing or ontogenetic alterations in plant growth and physiology. Despite considerable progress in our understanding of relationships between ontogeny and environmental response that support this hypothesis, knowledge of when developmental transitions occur and the extent of genetic variation in the timing of these transitions and phase-specific traits remains limited. As plants transition between developmental phases, their tolerance and response to environmental conditions changes (Figure 1). Plants in different developmental phases possess distinct organs (i.e., juvenile or adult leaves, flowers), access to resources, and physiological characteristics, which contribute to ontogenetic changes in environmental interactions. For example, during the transition from juvenile to adult vegetative phases, many plants produce different types of leaves that lead to shifts in carbon economics and suitability for different light environments. Juvenile leaves of multiple species are less costly to produce and have morphology and photosynthetic physiology better suited to low-light conditions, whereas adult leaves have a longer lifespan and have a morphology and physiology more profitable in high-light environments (Lawrence et al., 2022). Furthermore, plants in different developmental phases possess unique genome-wide expression responses to environmental stimuli that control physiological responses. For example, during vegetative phase change, age-dependent increases in the expression of SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE (SPL) genes activate defense signaling genes, enhancing disease resistance during the adult vegetative phase in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. 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