Phenotypic plasticity in response to mechanical stress: hydrodynamic performance and fitness of four aquatic plant species

Summary•  Plastic responses of plants exposed to mechanical stress can lead to modified, performance‐enhancing, morphologies, sometimes accompanied by costs to reproduction. The capacity to present short‐term plastic responses to current stress, the resulting performance (expected lower mechanical forces), and the costs of such responses to reproduction were tested for four aquatic plant species. •  Two ramets of the same genet were submitted to running vs standing water treatment. Traits describing the morphology, hydrodynamic performance and reproduction (sexual and vegetative) were measured. •  For one species, plastic responses led to reduced hydrodynamic forces, without apparent costs to reproduction, indicating that the plastic response could be beneficial for plant maintenance in stressful habitats. For two species, plastic responses were not associated with variations in performance and reproduction, possibly because of the low hydrodynamic forces experienced, even for morphologies produced under standing conditions. For one species, plastic responses were associated with a sharp decrease in sexual reproduction, without variations in performance, revealing the negative impact of currents over a short time scale. •  Species maintenance is linked to the capacity of individuals to tolerate mechanical forces. The contrasting responses to currents may be a key element for predicting community dynamics.