植物表型可塑性的发生机制是生态学、进化生物学与发育生物学等交叉学科共同关注的重要科学问题和研究热点。胡杨是干旱荒漠区古老的落叶乔木树种，其叶片和个体发育属于典型的植物表型可塑性变异，具有重要的适应与进化意义。本研究采用生态学原地观测、植物生理生态观测与分子生物学技术相结合的方法，研究胡杨叶片发育的形态结构变化、叶片发育的光合作用与水分生理功能可塑性、个体发育与生活史可塑性及其与光照、温度、水分等环境因子之间的关系，研究胡杨叶片形态变化的可塑性基因与差异蛋白质的特征及其变化规律等。主要创新之处是从叶片发育和个体发育两个层次探讨胡杨植物表型可塑性的生态-发育机制及其适应与进化意义，以表型可塑性变异为核心研究胡杨表型可塑性的分子基础及其表观遗传调控机制。研究结果可为植物表型可塑性理论提高直接证据，对于丰富和完善植物适应进化理论具有重要学术价值；也可为荒漠地区生态恢复以及胡杨林保护提供科学依据。

The mechanism of plant phenotypic plasticity is an important scientific issues of ecology, evolutionary biology and developmental biology. Populus euphratica is the ancient species of deciduous tree in arid area, which has typical variation of plant phenotypic plasticity in the leaf and individual development. It is very important for the study of adaptation and evolutionary to arid environment. The methods using in this program include in situ observations of ecology, measurement of plant physiological ecology and molecular biology technique. The main field of research the morphology and structure of leaf, the plasticity of physiological function, the plasticity of individual development and life history, the molecular basis of phenotypic plasticity, and so on. The key point of innovation is to reveal the mechanism of ecological development and the significance of adaptation and evolution of phenotypic plasticity of P. euphratica with the level of both leaf development and individual development. Furthermore the plasticity genes and epigenetic regulation of P. euphratica is also the new filed in the study of phenotypic plasticity variation. The research results can improve the direct evidence for the theory of plant phenotypic plasticity, which has important scientific value to enrich and perfect the theory of plant adaptative evolution. In addition, it also can provide scientific basis for the ecological restoration and protection of P. euphratica forest in desert area.