Associations between developmental stability, canalization and phenotypic plasticity in plants with temporally heterogeneous environmental experience

We subjected eight plant species to a first round of alternating inundation and drought vs. constantly moderate water treatments and a second round of water conditions. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), intra- and inter-individual variations (CVintra and CVinter), and plasticity in traits were measured and correlations between variables were calculated for each species. Early temporally heterogeneous experience decreased the leaf size of half of the species, but had complex effects on leaf fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and inter-individual variation (CVinter) in traits immediately or in late conditions, with little effects on intra-individual variation (CVintra). There were several positive correlations between FA and CVinter, while there were correlations between CVinter and plasticity in early treatments, but negative ones in late treatments., The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana. Greenhouse temperatures were maintained between 15-30ºC, corresponding roughly to natural summer temperatures in the region. Natural light was supplemented by metal halide bulbs and maximum total photosynthetically active radiation on clear days reached ~1200 μmol m-2 s-1. Seeds of all species were sown in plastic trays (54.2 × 27.3 cm in width and 6.5 cm in height) in December 2010. Two weeks after seedling emergence, individual seedlings were transplanted into pots (7 × 7 cm in width and 20.6 cm in height) filled with a 1:1 mixture of top garden soil and sterile silica sand. Forty days after transplanting, before the first round of treatments, the longest leaf of each plant was measured as an estimate of the initial size of each individual. A split plot design was implemented with the first round of treatments as a main factor and the second round of treatments and species as sub-factors. The..., , # Data from: Associations between developmental stability, canalization and phenotypic plasticity in plants with temporally heterogeneous environmental experience

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nzs7h44v6](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nzs7h44v6)

Method

The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana. Greenhouse temperatures were maintained between 15-30ºC, corresponding roughly to natural summer temperatures in the region. Natural light was supplemented by metal halide bulbs and maximum total photosynthetically active radiation on clear days reached ~1200 μmol m-2 s-1. Seeds of all species were sown in plastic trays (54.2 × 27.3 cm in width and 6.5 cm in height) in December 2010. Two weeks after seedling emergence, individual seedlings were transplanted into pots (7 × 7 cm in width and 20.6 cm in height) filled with a 1:1 mixture of top garden soil and sterile silica sand. Forty days after transplanting, before the first round of treatment...