La plasticité phénotypique des caractères anatomiques foliaires chez le Festuca rubra L. (Pcaceae)

Abstract

The phenotypic plasticity of nine anatomical leaf characters of Festuca rubra was studied through a transplantation experiment. Twelve genotypes from four habitats (salt marshes, coastal rocks, coastal sands, and ruderal places) were submitted to five treatments in a garden. An analysis of variance shows that almost all these characters were modified by treatments. Nevertheless, in most cases, the greatest part of the variation observed was genetic rather than plastic. Morever, it appears that genotypes responded quite differently to the treatments. The use of these characters in the taxonomy of F. rubra is discussed. Keywords: Festuca rubra, leaf anatomy, phenotypic plasticity.