Plant Phenotypic Plasticity in Response to Environmental Factors
Table 3
Plasticity index (PI) of morphological and physiological leaf traits for Crepis pygmaea subsp. pygmaea, Isatis apennina [35], and Sesleria nitida [65].
Morphological traits
PI
Physiological traits
PI
Crepis pygmaea subsp. pygmaea
LA
0.20
0.63
DM
0.39
0.65
LMA
0.38
0.53
LTD
0.42
WUE
0.36
0.73
Chl
0.31
RWC
0.21
0.55
Mean value
0.35
Mean value
0.50
Isatis apennina
LA
0.25
0.42
DM
0.32
0.48
LMA
0.30
0.72
LTD
0.33
WUE
0.26
0.48
Chl
0.17
RWC
0.15
0.37
Mean value
0.30
Mean value
0.38
Sesleria nitida
Leaf thickness
0.24
0.18
Height of the major lateral vascular bundle
0.30
0.39
Width of the major lateral vascular bundle
0.24
0.33
Height of the major lateral vascular bundle
0.39
0.37
Width of the central vascular bundle
0.32
0.47
Diameter of the xylematic vessels
0.18
Mesophyll cell density
0.19
Thickness of the upper sclerenchyma layers
0.31
Total surface area of bulliform cells
0.07
Adaxial stomatal length
0.06
Abaxial epidermis thickness
0.06
Adaxial epidermis thickness
0.07
Leaf mass area
0.15
Leaf width
0.21
Mean value
0.20
Mean value
0.35
Leaf area (LA), leaf dry mass (DM), leaf mass area (LMA), leaf tissue density (LTD), net photosynthesis (), stomatal conductance (), leaf respiration (), water use efficiency (WUE), leaf water potential at midday (), total chlorophyll content (Chl), relative water content (RWC), gross photosynthesis (), leaf transpiration (), ratio between leaf respiration, and net photosynthesis () are shown.