Biology Asked by Wesley Rios on April 19, 2021
Is it possible to trace a specific seed to a fully mature tree? For example, Can a seed be traced to the full-grown plant based on DNA? Would it be possible for me to catalog a seed DNA and then years later be able to identify the full-grown plant to that seed that was cataloged?
As the embryo of a seed typically contains many cells, it should in theory be possible to obtain DNA from a seed without disrupting it (there may be pragmatic issues with protocol, depending on the particulars of the seed).
If you have the DNA and each seed has been produced by a separate fertilization event, then each seeds DNA would be unique and it should certainly be possible to identify an individual genetically, just like it is with animals.
Not all seeds are genetically distinct however. For example, many plants will also produce seeds asexually under appropriate conditions, a process known as apomixis. If the seeds are being produced asexually, then your only hope would be to identify different mutations in different seeds, which is a much fainter signal and likely to fail for your intended purpose.
Answered by jakebeal on April 19, 2021
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