ABSTRACT Many of the earth's species-rich floras are fire-prone and current research is showing a key role for fire in their evolution and diversification. However the mechanisms by which fire might direct evolution at the cellular level are unknown. Mutagenesis is the foundation on which speciation is based and our literature survey shows that burning biomass may be a major source of potent mutagens in the form of heat, combustion products and recycled metals and radionuclides. Even mild heat may cause dysfunctional cell division and induce diploid gametes and genome duplication that are considered one of the cornerstones of speciation among flowering plants. Plant cell walls that undergo pyrolysis yield particulates and gases with strong mutagenic properties, among which polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzo[α]pyrene, are notable. Plants concentrate essential, nonmetabolic, and radioactive metal/metalloid ions from the soil and air; they are fractionated even further on combustion and may also have mutagenic effects on the chromosomes of stored seeds and regenerating plants. Morphological consequences may be profound, even mimicking traits present among other species in the lineage, and hold promise that fire-related mutagenesis may provide the missing mechanistic explanation for the close historical association between wildfire and speciation among seed plants.

中文翻译：

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火作为植物中的强致突变剂

摘要 地球上许多物种丰富的植物群都容易着火，目前的研究表明，火在它们的进化和多样化中起着关键作用。然而，火可能在细胞水平上指导进化的机制尚不清楚。诱变是物种形成的基础，我们的文献调查表明，燃烧生物质可能是热、燃烧产物和回收金属和放射性核素形式的有效诱变剂的主要来源。即使是温和的热量也可能导致细胞分裂功能障碍​​并诱导二倍体配子和基因组复制，这被认为是开花植物物种形成的基石之一。经历热解的植物细胞壁产生具有强致突变特性的颗粒和气体，其中多环芳烃，例如苯并[α]芘，是值得注意的。植物从土壤和空气中浓缩必需的、非代谢的和放射性金属/准金属离子；它们在燃烧时会进一步分离，并且还可能对储存的种子和再生植物的染色体产生诱变作用。形态学后果可能是深远的，甚至模仿谱系中其他物种中存在的特征，并且有希望与火相关的诱变可能为野火与种子植物物种形成之间的密切历史关联提供缺失的机械解释。