Scots pine seedlings from drought-stressed mother trees kept growing better than those from irrigated mothers, even after a three-year break from treatment. The advantage from irrigated mothers faded, showing that a parent tree's environment can leave a memory in its offspring that fades and sometimes mismatches the conditions the young tree faces.
1
Offspring of drought-exposed mother trees showed consistently higher carbon assimilation and stem growth than offspring of irrigated mothers, regardless of the hot-drought or irrigation treatment applied.
2
After three years under non-experimental conditions, offspring of irrigated mothers no longer outgrew others under irrigation, indicating the irrigation-related memory weakened.
3
Gene expression differed in number and identity of differentially expressed genes between offspring groups, and primary metabolites showed modest differences in osmoprotectants and stress compounds; no DNA methylation, histone, or small RNA data were collected.
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