I’ve read that for animals, say, a cloned mammal the DNA of the original host is the same used for the clone, so it’s already aged and degraded from time. I grow many plants, and so I regularly make clones via cuttings and divisions. So I wonder why the new individuals can have the same vigor as it’s parent plant? Does DNA not degrade in plants? I’ve also read that inbreeding can occur in plants. On a side note, about the super massive tree structure Pando, that Aspen forest from only like 1 tree I think. It’s estimated to be 80,000 years old and is technically a single individual, as every stem (tree) comes from the same roots and has the same DNA. Meaning at some point a long time ago a single seed made 1 tree which eventually became a forest occupying over 100 acres. How does DNA replicate so many times over in plants with no issues? Is it because the differences between plant and animal cells? I don’t know a lot about these things, just a random thought I had. Any explanation would be appreciated 🙂
In: Biology
I’m sure my response will get deleted but from what I recall, animal dna is exactly like you described. The dna is essentially a time stamp.
You can take dna from a human at 30 years old, clone it, and the clone will ‘start’ at 30. It won’t grow from a baby into what is now that person. It will just grow from a clump of cells into what is exactly that person, albeit without memories, experiences etc.
Plants are different in that an oak can live for hundreds of years for example. I don’t know if a study has been done to see if ‘cloning’ or taking a stem from a plant and creating a new one has any side effects on the new plant.
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