Within-plant heterogeneity in fecundity and herbivory induced by localized DNA hypomethylation in the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus.

Experimental manipulation of genomic DNA methylation level in leaves of wild-growing H. foetidus plants induced considerable within-plant heterogeneity in phenotypic (inflorescences, flowers, fecundity) and ecologically relevant traits (herbivore distribution), which supports the hypothesis that epigenetic mosaicism may partly account for within-plant variation.