Phenotypic plasticity and between population differentiation in Iris pumila transplants between native open and anthropogenic shade habitats

Abstract

Response to environmental heterogeneity caused by human activity was analyzed on Iris pumila reciprocal transplants between native steppe and anthropogenic (planted pine forest) habitats that were monitored during several growing seasons in a protected area of Deliblato Sand. Morphometric traits exhibited significant plastic responses to the environmental variability between native and anthropogenic habitats that differed in light quantity and quality, as well as in some other ecological indices. Significant differentiation between populations occupying those habitats was also detected. Plastic responses and population differences were substantially related to the variation in general size and had the same direction, plastic responses being larger in magnitude. Estimates of reproductive and vegetative performance of reciprocal transplants detected home site advantage in the native open but not in the secondary shade habitat created under anthropogenic influence. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2009.