PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY AND INTEGRATION ACROSS THE CANOPY OF OLEA EUROPAEA SUBSP GUANCHICA (OLEACEAE) IN POPULATIONS WITH DIFFERENT WIND EXPOSURES

Woody plants, as sessile and long-lived organisms, are expected to have effective mechanisms for dealing with recurrent environmental stresses. In the present study, we hypothesized that phenotypic plasticity (the ability to express alternative phenotypes) and integration (covariation among functionally related traits) are elicited in plants under stressful wind speed conditions. We investigated the within-crown variation of nine vegetative traits of a tree species (Olea europaea subsp. guanchica) in six populations that represented a gradient of wind speed exposures. Wind-exposed twigs in outer-canopy layers had smaller leaves; thinner, lighter, and shorter internodes; and a larger internode cross-sectional area to leaf area ratio. Comparison between field and greenhouse trials revealed that field differences among populations were mediated by phenotypic plasticity. Outer-canopy twigs expressed plastic responses in populations exposed to high wind speeds, whereas inner-canopy twigs displayed high phenotypic convergence among populations. In addition, phenotypic integration increased with wind exposure (outer canopy > inner canopy > greenhouse) and was consequently affected by canopy openness. We conclude that exposure to wind above a certain speed threshold in this woody species elicits a plastic response that is associated with increased integration among traits and involves mechanical and hydraulic rearrangements in more exposed parts of the trees.