Morphological and anatomical traits of needles of Abies alba saplings growing under the canopies of Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica, Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris and Larix decidua were studied. An acclimation of the needles to different light conditions created by the principal species of the canopy was assessed using different microscopic methods. Length, width, needle area, stomatal density, parenchyma thickness, resin ducts diameter, central cylinder size and other traits of needles allowed to determine their structural plasticity in response to irradiance level. Leaf mass to area ratio, palisade parenchyma thickness, diameter of resin ducts increased, whereas width/thickness ratio and needle thickness/parenchyma thickness ratio decreased with increasing canopy openness. Variation in the investigated patterns of the needles reflected their structural plasticity and also an ability of silver fir saplings to acclimate to irradiance under the canopies of diverse tree species.
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