Microbial Ecophysiology Lab

Shania Kallandanthyil
Hanlon Lab

Skshada Shankar Ganesh
Erceg Lab

Kwali Abbleke, President, Sena Institute of Technology Ghana

Host: Jelena Erceg

Heteroblasticity during plant development and response to climate change

Summary: Heteroblasty defines the ontogeny of plant development with varied leaf morphology in a single individual. As plants develop from young to adults during the vegetative stage of development, they exhibit cellular and morphological characteristics to prepare them for flowering. Here, we introduce a novel model organism, Euphorbia heterophylla, a herbaceous plant with multiple distinctive leaf shapes which is widespread in the tropics. We observed that E.heterophylla has five distinct stages of growth which are highly dependent on its nodes. We introduce five additional stages of development from seedling to maturity as Cotyledon, serrated leaves (Bomi), serrated/oval leaves (Demi),oval leaves (Comi), star-shaped leaves (Zomi) and flowering-whorl leaves (Feti). The nodes have distinct leaf forms with predictive timing of emergence. Also, when lateral buds emerge, the leaf pattern of the emerging shoot follows two distinct paths. Lateral shoots at sites below node 6 exhibit leaves that follow the 5 stages of the main stem while lateral shoots emerging beyond lead 7 node exhibit latter “Feti” leaf forms, implying that epigenetic regulators are set at different nodes. The developmental stages are independent of plant height but rather on the node number. Prominent morphological distinctions include (a) leaf petioles that increase to the “Comi” stage before reducing to sessile leaves in “Feti” stage; (b) trichomes margins emerge from the Bomi stage and progressively increase with node number; (c) Adaxial trichomes emerge before abaxial trichomes from the Bomi to Demi transition; and (d) leaf size increases to the “Zomi” stage before waning in subsequent nodes. We tested this model in four homoblasty plants and each showed a unique predictive node number to flowering.

About Dr. Agbleke: Andrews Akwasi Agbleke (aka Kwasi Agbleke) received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ghana, a doctorate in Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. Upon completion of his fellowship, he worked as an Imaging Specialist at the Harvard Center for biological Imaging before transiting to lead the Sena Institute of Technology (SIT), the first private nonprofit research center in Ghana. Dr. Agbleke’s doctoral and postdoctoral research interest is on the 3D organization of chromosomes in bacteria and mammalian stem cell nuclei. At SIT, he studies biodiversity and environmental drivers of development in plants, marine and mammal organisms. Dr. Agbleke serves as the Founding President of SIT, Chair of the organizing Committee for the first Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) conference in Africa and Founding President of the Genetics Society of West Africa.

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Sean Riccard
Erceg Lab

Morgan Wagner
Robinson Lab