Phenotypic plasticity and mechanical stress: biomass partitioning and clonal growth of an aquatic plant species

Mechanical stresses from wind, current or wave action can strongly affect plant growth and survival. Survival and distribution of species often depend on the plant's capacity to adapt to such stresses, particularly when amplified by climatic variations. Few studies have dealt with plastic adjustments in response to mechanical stress compared to resource stress. We hypothesized that mechanical stress should favor plastic adjustments that result in increased biomass production in zones protected from the stress and that altered growth patterns should be reversible after mechanical stress removal. Here we measured plastic adjustments in morphological traits and clonal architecture for an aquatic clonal species (Berula erecta) under two contrasting mechanical stresses in the field-standing vs. running water. Reversion of the morphological changes was then assessed using transplants in standing water. In the case of mechanical stress, size reduction, biomass reallocation within clones (higher allocations to clonal growth and to belowground organs), and a more compact growth form (reduced spacer lengths) contributed to reducing the damage risk. The removal of mechanical stress induced compensatory growth, probably linked to the production of low density tissues. However, most patterns of dry mass partitioning induced by current stress were not reversed after stress removal.