Parental overgrazing affects offspring shade avoidance in Leymus chinensis

Grazing environment during parents lifetime may modify performance of clonal offspring via heritable nongenetic effects. This transgenerational effect enables adaptation of the offspring to similar environments as faced by the parents. This study aims to investigate whether overgrazing endured by the parents adversely affects offspring shade avoidance. Studying the effects of grazing on grassland ecosystem is of great significance to sustainable management and development.