A University of Maryland study reveals an evolutionary trade-off that young plants face to develop disease resistance.
A University of Maryland study reveals an evolutionary trade-off that young plants face to develop disease resistance.
From toddlers in daycare to seedlings in forests, young organisms tend to get sick more easily than adults—a phenomenon that has long puzzled parents and scientists alike.
University of Maryland biologists offer new insights into this mysteriously universal pattern in a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 4, 2025. The new study on baby plants shows that fighting disease at a young age often comes at a steep cost to growth and future evolutionary fitness—or their ability to reproduce.
“It’s a mystery why young organisms don’t evolve stronger disease resistance because getting sick early in life can be deadly,” said study co-author Emily Bruns, an assistant professor of biology at UMD. “Our findings suggest that a hidden trade-off is involved, stopping them from being able to completely fight off a disease."
Read more at University of Maryland
Image: A picture of the Silene latifolia plant infected with anther-smut disease. (Credit: Emily Bruns)
