发展稳定,规范化,表型可塑性是表型变异的最常见来源,然而,调查这些来源之间关系的比较研究,特别是在植物中,缺乏。为了研究发育稳定性或不稳定性之间的关系,发育变异性,规范化,和植物的可塑性,我们用Abutilontheophrasti做了一个田间试验,通过使植物在不育的情况下承受三种密度肥沃的土壤条件。我们测量了叶片宽度(叶片大小)并计算了波动不对称性(FA),个体内部和个体之间的变异系数(CVintra和CVinter),在植物生长的第30、50和70天,叶片大小的可塑性(PIrel),为了分析这些变量与密度和土壤条件的相关性,在每个或所有生长阶段。结果表明,密度增加导致叶片FA降低,CVintra,肥沃土壤中的PIrel和更高的CVinter。在贫瘠的土壤中,FA和PIrel之间存在正相关,而在高密度和/或肥沃的土壤中,CVinter和PIrel之间以及CVinter和CVintra之间的相关性为负,在其他情况下,它们之间的相关性不显着。结果表明发育不稳定反应的复杂性,可变性,和叶片大小的渠化,以及他们的关系,这取决于应力的强度。激烈的地上竞争加速叶片大小的减少(导致较低的可塑性)将更有可能减少发育的不稳定性,可变性,和叶片大小的渠化。增加的发育不稳定性和个体内和个体间的变异性应该是有利的,并在压力较小的条件下促进适应性可塑性;因此,它们更可能与可塑性正相关,而具有较低发育变异性的发育稳定性和渠化应该有利于在更紧张的条件下稳定植物性能,它们往往与可塑性有更多的负相关。
Developmental stability,
canalization, and phenotypic plasticity are the most common sources of phenotypic variation, yet comparative studies investigating the relationships between these sources, specifically in plants, are lacking. To investigate the relationships among developmental stability or instability, developmental variability,
canalization, and plasticity in plants, we conducted a field experiment with Abutilon theophrasti, by subjecting plants to three densities under infertile vs. fertile soil conditions. We measured the leaf width (leaf size) and calculated fluctuating asymmetry (FA), coefficient of variation within and among individuals (CVintra and CVinter), and plasticity (PIrel) in leaf size at days 30, 50, and 70 of plant growth, to analyze the correlations among these variables in response to density and soil conditions, at each of or across all growth stages. Results showed increased density led to lower leaf FA, CVintra, and PIrel and higher CVinter in fertile soil. A positive correlation between FA and PIrel occurred in infertile soil, while correlations between CVinter and PIrel and between CVinter and CVintra were negative at high density and/or in fertile soil, with nonsignificant correlations among them in other cases. Results suggested the complexity of responses of developmental instability, variability, and
canalization in leaf size, as well as their relationships, which depend on the strength of stresses. Intense aboveground competition that accelerates the decrease in leaf size (leading to lower plasticity) will be more likely to reduce developmental instability, variability, and
canalization in leaf size. Increased developmental instability and intra- and interindividual variability should be advantageous and facilitate adaptive plasticity in less stressful conditions; thus, they are more likely to positively correlate with plasticity, whereas developmental stability and
canalization with lower developmental variability should be beneficial for stabilizing plant performance in more stressful conditions, where they tend to have more negative correlations with plasticity.