Q.What is plasticity?

Step 1. Plasticity is defined as a plant's capacity to follow different developmental pathways depending on the environment it experiences or the phase of life it is in, resulting in different kinds of structures forming from what is genetically the same plant.

Step 2. This is most clearly illustrated by heterophylly - the production of leaves of different shapes at different stages or under different conditions in the same individual plant.

Step 3. In cotton and coriander, the leaves produced by a juvenile plant differ in shape from the leaves produced once the plant is mature, showing plasticity linked to life stage.

Step 4. In buttercup, leaves produced in air differ in shape from leaves produced underwater on the same plant, showing plasticity linked directly to the surrounding environment. …

• Confusing plasticity with genetic mutation or variation, when it is actually the same genetic programme producing different outcomes. …