Ontogenetic changes in ecophysiology are an understudied yet important component of plant adaptation.

Plants rely on adjustments in growth and development to respond to environmental stimuli. Developmental transitions, including germination, vegetative phase change, reproductive transition, and senescence, modify the growth patterns of plants and their requirements for survival. Consequently, the timing of developmental transitions and the developmental stage at which a plant encounters environmental stress hold significant implications for the performance of individuals, population dynamics, and community dynamics. If developmental phases, and the timing of transitions between them, are key to plant success in fluctuating environments, then understanding ontogenetic changes in plant environmental interactions is necessary to predict how plants will react to environmental stress and novel environments. Geneticists and molecular biologists have discovered many mechanisms governing developmental transitions, while developmental biologists have studied how plant form changes across ontogeny and ecologists have studied how plant form alters organismal interactions. However, there has been insufficient integration of these fields of study, hindering a comprehensive understanding of how plant development contributes to environmental adaptation and acclimation.