Global climate change is expected to affect mountain ecosystems significantly. Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of any genotype to produce a variety of phenotypes under different environmental conditions, is critical in determining the ability of species to acclimate to current climatic changes. Here, to simulate the impact of climate change, we compared the physiology of species of the genus Picea from different provenances and climatic conditions and quantified their phenotypic plasticity index (PPI) in two contrasting common gardens (dry vs. wet), and then considered phenotypic plastic effects on their future adaptation. The mean PPI of the photosynthetic features studied was higher than that of the stomatal features. Species grown in the arid and humid common gardens were differentiated: the stomatal length (SL) and width (SW) on the adaxial surface, the transpiration rate (Tr) and leaf mass per area (LMA) were more highly correlated with rainfall than other traits. There were no significant relationships between the observed plasticity and the species' original habitat, except in P. crassifolia (from an arid habitat) and P. asperata (from a humid habitat). Picea crassifolia exhibited enhanced instantaneous efficiency of water use (PPI = 0.52) and the ratio of photosynthesis to respiration (PPI = 0.10) remained constant; this species was, therefore, considered to the one best able to acclimate when faced with the effects of climate change. The other three species exhibited reduced physiological activity when exposed to water limitation. These findings indicate how climate change affects the potential roles of plasticity in determining plant physiology, and provide a basis for future reforestation efforts in China.

中文翻译：

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在两个相反的普通花园中四种云杉属的气孔和光合特征的表型可塑性。

预计全球气候变化将对山区生态系统产生重大影响。表型可塑性是任何基因型在不同环境条件下产生多种表型的能力，对于确定物种适应当前气候变化的能力至关重要。在这里，为了模拟气候变化的影响，我们比较了不同来源和气候条件的云杉属物种的生理，并在两个相对的常见花园（干与湿）中量化了它们的表型可塑性指数（PPI），然后考虑了表型可塑性影响其未来的适应性。研究的光合作用特征的平均PPI高于气孔特征。区分了在干旱和潮湿的普通花园中生长的物种：与其他性状相比，近地表气孔长度（SL）和宽度（SW），蒸腾速率（Tr）和单位面积叶片质量（LMA）与降雨的相关性更高。除了可观测到的P. crassifolia（来自干旱的栖息地）和P. asperata（来自潮湿的栖息地）以外，观察到的可塑性与物种的原始栖息地之间没有显着的关系。青云杉表现出提高的瞬时用水效率（PPI = 0.52），并且光合作用与呼吸的比率（PPI = 0.10）保持恒定。因此，该物种被认为是面对气候变化影响时最能适应的物种。当暴露于水限制时，其他三个物种表现出降低的生理活性。