Plants exhibit remarkable plasticity, adapting their growth and development to environmental cues to enhance fitness and survival. This integration of environmental information, impacting subsequent life stages or generations, constitutes environmental memory. This review summarizes recent advancements in understanding plant memory, its ecological underpinnings, the multilayered molecular mechanisms involved (epigenetic, genetic, and metabolic), and the potential of mathematical modeling in enhancing our comprehension. The authors emphasize using plant memory as a tool for unlocking natural world secrets and for applications in managing plant communities in both natural and agricultural ecosystems.

Gabriela Auge, Valentin Hankofer, Martin Groth, Rea Antoniou-Kourounioti, Irja Ratikainen, Christian Lampei