Review Article

Plant Phenotypic Plasticity in Response to Environmental Factors

Figure 1

The reaction norm for any specific traits of a genotype can be visualized as a line on a plot of the environmental value versus the phenotypic value. In this example, the response of four evergreen species (Quercus ilex, Phillyrea angustifolia, Pistacia lentiscus, and Smilax aspera) in three different sites inside the Castelporziano Estate (Latium coast near Rome, Italy) to a gradient of air temperature (T1 = 16.5°C, T2 = 17.2°C, and T3 = 21.9°C) is shown [55]. Lines represent the species and slope the phenotypic response. Among the cooccurring species, S. aspera, growing in the understory of the forest, has a larger morphological than a physiological plasticity. Q. ilex is the species with the largest morphological and physiological plasticity. Leaf area (LA), leaf mass area (LMA), and chlorophyll a to b ratio (Chl a/b) are shown.
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