Morphological PlasticityMorphological PlasticityDefinition: The degree to which a given character of a genotype can be modified by the environment.
This shoot was collected from the upper portion of the crown of a Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ) tree in northern Idaho. The shoot contains three age classes of needles; shorter needles produced before nitrogen fertilization (lower part of shoot), and longer needles (two cohorts) produced the year following nitrogen fertilization (upper portion of shoot). Differences in the number of needles and their individual length are good examples of morphological plasticity.