Great granny still ruling from the grave: Phenotypical response of plant performance and seed functional traits to salt stress affects multiple generations of a halophyte

Environmental changes, for example, in rainfall and land use, lead to changes the environment experienced by subsequent generations of plant species. conditions maternal plants can influence fitness phenotypes via non-genetic mechanisms: transgenerational plasticity (TGP). However, relevant empirical evidence remains scarce ambiguous. What are adaptive consequences TGP face environmental change? For how many does effect remain? We tried answer these questions measuring life-history traits reproductive characteristics progeny diaspore-heteromorphic annual halophyte Atriplex centralasiatica a 3-year experiment covering F0, F1 F2 partly F3. Plants from diaspore types A (low dispersal high germination ability) C (high low were grown favourable versus stressful salinities over three fully factorial design. Transgenerational decreased → F0. Compared condition, condition length vegetative period, increased time, allocation size. Salinity tolerance phenotypic higher than those C. In produced less biomass, larger diaspores, proportion C, but lower A. Production with increase number previous that stress. The stress experience great-great grandmother (F0) continued into A:C ratio F3 diaspores. Synthesis. Our findings provide ‘escape strategy’ centralasiatica: could spread risk adversity delaying seed temporally broadening spatially, thus allowing cope heterogeneity. Specifically, trade-off between diaspores enables develop divergent strategies. New research should reveal extent which wide-ranging taxa benefit whether even (great)-great might be starting point TGP.