The study tests whether the circadian clock component ELF3 shapes developmental trait heterogeneity, proposing that faster‑developing populations are more heterogeneous early but less so at maturity, whereas slower growers show the opposite pattern. Experiments with Arabidopsis elf3 and barley Hvelf3 mutants confirmed these predictions, showing ELF3 influences hypocotyl and bolting variability via maturation rate, and that smaller barley plants exhibit increased osmotic stress resilience, suggesting ELF3‑driven heterogeneity serves as a bet‑hedging strategy.

The study performed a comprehensive computational analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana proteome, classifying 48,359 proteins by melting temperature (Tm) and melting temperature index (TI) and linking thermal stability to amino acid composition, molecular mass, and codon usage. Machine‑learning and evolutionary analyses revealed that higher molecular mass and specific codon pairs correlate with higher Tm, and that gene duplication has driven the evolution of high‑Tm proteins, suggesting a genomic basis for stress resilience.