Mechanisms and genes controlling programmed cell death and Darwinian fitness in plants Stanisław Karpin´ski, Christine Chang, Per Mühlenbock and

The plant acclimation processes necessitate accurate sensing and simultaneous processing of the incoming environmental signals, such as changes in light intensity and quality, fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity, photoperiod length, water availability, nutritional status, wounding, pathogen attack, herbivores, and so on. Information concerning changes in multiple environmental parameters must be simultaneously conveyed throughout the plant cell in order to generate the ‘only correct’ and optimal acclimatory and defence responses, which will ultimately allow for successful propagation (Darwinian fitness).