Abstract
Development is the totality of all processes of changes in form and function in the life cycle of a single or multicellular organism. Development may occur at the organizational level of molecules, compartments, cells, tissues, and organs, all connected to the metabolism discussed in Chap. 5. Physiology of development deals with the analysis of the causes of the developmental processes. The aim is to understand the sequences by which the genetic information (the genotype) is expressed through the interaction of nucleic acids, proteins, and compounds of low molecular weight, and also the interaction with the environment giving the final organism (phenotype). This leads in subsequent generations to faithful reproduction of the characteristics of the species of the parent generation as well as to individual variability in the expression of the phenotype within the framework of the reaction norm laid down by the genotype. In plants, the plasticity of development serves mainly to enable the organism to adapt to different conditions of the environment. The cycles of development of plants with different systematic relationships will be discussed in Sect. 10.2.
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Sonnewald, U. (2013). Physiology of Development. In: Strasburger's Plant Sciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15518-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15518-5_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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