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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火是植物中的强致突变剂

地球上许多物种丰富的植物很容易着火，而目前的研究表明，火在其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，我们的文献调查显示，燃烧生物质可能是热，诱变产物，循环金属和放射性核素等形式的强效诱变剂的主要来源。即使是温和的高温也可能导致细胞分裂功能异常，并诱导二倍体配子和基因组重复，这被认为是开花植物物种形成的基石之一。经过热解的植物细胞壁产生具有强诱变特性的颗粒和气体，其中值得注意的是多环芳烃，例如苯并[α] py。植物从土壤和空气中吸收必需的，非代谢的和放射性的金属/准金属离子；它们在燃烧时会进一步分级分离，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，甚至模仿沿袭中其他物种之间的特征，并有望与火有关的诱变可能为野火与种子植物之间的物种形成之间的紧密历史联系提供缺少的机理解释。