scholarly journals Selection on phenotypic plasticity favors thermal canalization

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik I. Svensson ◽  
Miguel Gomez-Llano ◽  
John T. Waller
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Thermal Reaction ◽  
Ambient Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Plasticity ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection

AbstractClimate change affects organisms worldwide with profound ecological and evolutionary consequences, often increasing population extinction risk. Climatic factors can increase the strength, variability or direction of natural selection on phenotypic traits, potentially driving adaptive evolution. Phenotypic plasticity in relation to temperature can allow organisms to maintain fitness in response to increasing temperatures, thereby “buying time” for subsequent genetic adaptation and promoting evolutionary rescue. Although many studies have shown that organisms respond plastically to increasing temperatures, it is unclear if such thermal plasticity is adaptive. Moreover, we know little about how natural and sexual selection operate on thermal reaction norms reflecting such plasticity. Here, we investigate how natural and sexual selection shape phenotypic plasticity in two congeneric and phenotypically similar sympatric insect species. We show that the thermal optima for longevity and mating success differ, suggesting temperature-dependent trade-offs between survival and reproduction. Males in these species have similar thermal reaction norm slopes but have diverged in baseline body temperature (intercepts), being higher for the more northern species. Natural selection favoured reduced thermal reaction norm slopes at high ambient temperatures, suggesting that the current level of thermal plasticity is maladaptive in the context of anthropogenic climate change and that selection now promotes thermal canalization and robustness. Our results show that ectothermic animals also at high latitudes can suffer from overheating and challenge the common view of phenotypic plasticity as being beneficial in harsh and novel environments.Significance StatementOrganisms are increasingly challenged by increasing temperatures due to climate change. In insects, body temperatures are strongly affected by ambient temperatures, and insects are therefore expected to suffer increasingly from heat stress, potentially reducing survival and reproductive success leading to elevated extinction risks. We investigated how ambient temperature affected fitness in two insect species in the temperate zone. Male and female survivorship benefitted more from low temperatures than did reproductive success, which increased with higher temperatures, revealing a thermal conflict between fitness components. Male body temperature plasticity reduced survival, and natural and sexual selection operated on such thermal plasticity. Our results reveal the negative consequences of thermal plasticity and show that these insects have limited ability to buffer heat stress.

scholarly journals Selection on phenotypic plasticity favors thermal canalization

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (47) ◽  
pp. 29767-29774
Author(s):  
Erik I. Svensson ◽  
Miguel Gomez-Llano ◽  
John T. Waller
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Thermal Reaction ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Common View ◽  
Thermal Plasticity ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection

Climate change affects organisms worldwide with profound ecological and evolutionary consequences, often increasing population extinction risk. Climatic factors can increase the strength, variability, or direction of natural selection on phenotypic traits, potentially driving adaptive evolution. Phenotypic plasticity in relation to temperature can allow organisms to maintain fitness in response to increasing temperatures, thereby “buying time” for subsequent genetic adaptation and promoting evolutionary rescue. Although many studies have shown that organisms respond plastically to increasing temperatures, it is unclear if such thermal plasticity is adaptive. Moreover, we know little about how natural and sexual selection operate on thermal reaction norms, reflecting such plasticity. Here, we investigate how natural and sexual selection shape phenotypic plasticity in two congeneric and phenotypically similar sympatric insect species. We show that the thermal optima for longevity and mating success differ, suggesting temperature-dependent trade-offs between survival and reproduction in both sexes. Males in these species have similar thermal reaction norm slopes but have diverged in baseline body temperature (intercepts), being higher for the more northern species. Natural selection favored reduced thermal reaction norm slopes at high ambient temperatures, suggesting that the current level of thermal plasticity is maladaptive in the context of anthropogenic climate change and that selection now promotes thermal canalization and robustness. Our results show that ectothermic animals also at high latitudes can suffer from overheating and challenge the common view of phenotypic plasticity as being beneficial in harsh and novel environments.

scholarly journals Natural and sexual selection act on different axes of variation in avian plumage color

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. e1400155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter O. Dunn ◽  
Jessica K. Armenta ◽  
Linda A. Whittingham
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Sexual Differences ◽  
Plumage Color ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Testes Size ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Bird Coloration ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection

The bright colors of birds are often attributed to sexual selection on males, but in many species both sexes are colorful and it has been long debated whether sexual selection can also explain this variation. We show that most evolutionary transitions in color have been toward similar plumage in both sexes, and the color of both sexes (for example, bright or dull) was associated with indices of natural selection (for example, habitat type), whereas sexual differences in color were primarily associated with indices of sexual selection on males (for example, polygyny and large testes size). Debate about the evolution of bird coloration can be resolved by recognizing that both natural and sexual selection have been influential, but they have generally acted on two different axes: sexual selection on an axis of sexual differences and natural selection on both sexes for the type of color (for example, bright or dull).

scholarly journals Diapause is not selected as a bet-hedging strategy in insects: a meta-analysis of reaction norm shapes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Joschinski ◽  
Dries Bonte
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Reaction Norm ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Bet Hedging ◽  
Hedging Strategy ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Environmental Predictability ◽  
Hedging Strategies

AbstractMany organisms escape from lethal climatological conditions by entering a resistant resting stage called diapause, which needs to be optimally timed with seasonal change. As climate change exerts selection pressure on phenology, the evolution of mean diapause timing, but also of phenotypic plasticity and bet-hedging strategies is expected. Especially the latter as a strategy to cope with unpredictability is little considered in the context of climate change.Contemporary patterns of phenological strategies across a geographic range may provide information about their evolvability. We thus extracted 458 diapause reaction norms from 60 studies. First, we correlated mean diapause timing with mean winter onset. Then we partitioned the reaction norm variance into a temporal component (phenotypic plasticity) and among-offspring variance (diversified bet-hedging) and correlated this variance composition with predictability of winter onset. Mean diapause timing correlated reasonably well with mean winter onset, except for populations at high latitudes, which apparently failed to track early onsets. Variance among offspring was, however, limited and correlated only weakly with environmental predictability, indicating little scope for bet-hedging. The apparent lack of phenological bet-hedging strategies may pose a risk in a less predictable climate, but we also highlight the need for more data on alternative strategies.

scholarly journals Limited genetic variation for male mating success reveals low evolutionary potential for thermal plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Waller ◽  
Anna Kell ◽  
Mireia Ballesta ◽  
Aude Giraud ◽  
Jessica K. Abbott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Heating Rate ◽  
Mating Success ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Thermal Reaction ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Male Mating Success ◽  
Evolutionary Potential ◽  
Thermal Plasticity

AbstractPopulations respond to novel environmental challenges either through genetic changes, through adaptive phenotypic plasticity for the traits in question, or by a combination of these factors. Here, we investigated the evolutionary potential of phenotypic plasticity for male mating success, locomotory ability, and heating rate (a physiological performance trait) in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, using isogenic male lines from the Drosophila Reference Genome Panel (DGRP) and hemi-clonal males. We quantified thermal reaction norms of how male mating success changed in relation to a temperate gradient, ranging from cold (18 °C) via optimal (24 °C) to hot and stressful environments (either 30 °C or 36 °C). We found significant differences in male mating success and locomotory performance between different lines, as well as significant main effects of temperature, but no significant genotype-by-environment interactions (GEI:s). A statistical power analysis revealed that the variance explained by GEI:s for thermal plasticity using this sample size is likely to be modest or very small, and represent only 4% of the total variation in male mating success. The lack of strong GEI:s for these two behavioral traits contrast with the presence of significant GEI:s for male heating rate, as measured by thermal imaging (infrared camera technology). These results suggest that sexual selection through male mating success is not likely to be efficient in mediating evolutionary rescue through changed plasticity in response to changing temperatures.

scholarly journals Integrating natural and sexual selection across the biphasic life cycle

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Purchase ◽  
Jonathan Evans ◽  
Julissa Roncal
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Parental Effect ◽  
Biphasic Life Cycle ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectories ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection

An alternation between diploid and haploid phases is universal among sexual eukaryotes. Across this biphasic cycle, natural selection and sexual selection occur in both phases. Together, these four stages of selection act on the phenotypes of individuals and influence the evolutionary trajectories of populations, but are rarely studied holistically. Here, we provide a conceptual framework that transcends taxonomic groups, and unifies the entire selection landscape within and across the diploid and haploid phases. Our synthesis produces six direct links among four selection stages, and from this we define four types of parental effect. We argue that knowledge of the complex and intertwined opportunities for selection within biphasic life cycles will offer clearer insights into key ecological and evolutionary processes, with benefits to applied science.

scholarly journals Natural and sexual selection on many loci.

Genetics ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
N H Barton ◽  
M Turelli
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Linkage Disequilibrium ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Arbitrary Number ◽  
Indirect Selection ◽  
Weak Selection ◽  
Nonrandom Mating ◽  
Linkage Disequilibria ◽  
Female Preferences ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection

Abstract A method is developed that describes the effects on an arbitrary number of autosomal loci of selection on haploid and diploid stages, of nonrandom mating between haploid individuals, and of recombination. We provide exact recursions for the dynamics of allele frequencies and linkage disequilibria (nonrandom associations of alleles across loci). When selection is weak relative to recombination, our recursions provide simple approximations for the linkage disequilibria among arbitrary combinations of loci. We show how previous models of sex-independent natural selection on diploids, assortative mating between haploids, and sexual selection on haploids can be analyzed in this framework. Using our weak-selection approximations, we derive new results concerning the coevolution of male traits and female preferences under natural and sexual selection. In particular, we provide general expressions for the intensity of linkage-disequilibrium induced selection experienced by loci that contribute to female preferences for specific male traits. Our general results support the previous observation that these indirect selection forces are so weak that they are unlikely to dominate the evolution of preference-producing loci.

The Alignment of Natural and Sexual Selection

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Locke Rowe ◽  
Howard D. Rundle
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Population History ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Net Benefit ◽  
Mean Fitness ◽  
The Many ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection Theory

Sexual selection has the potential to decrease mean fitness in a population through an array of costs to nonsexual fitness. These costs may be offset when sexual selection favors individuals with high nonsexual fitness, causing the alignment of sexual and natural selection. We review the many laboratory experiments that have manipulated mating systems aimed at quantifying the net effects of sexual selection on mean fitness. These must be interpreted in light of population history and the diversity of ways manipulations have altered sexual interactions, sexual conflict, and sexual and natural selection. Theory and data suggest a net benefit is more likely when sexually concordant genetic variation is enhanced and that ecological context can mediate the relative importance of these different effects. Comparative studies have independently examined the consequences of sexual selection for population/species persistence. These provide little indication of a benefit, and interpreting these higher-level responses is challenging. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Volume 52 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Interactions of natural and sexual selection: damselfish prioritize brood defense with male–male competition or courtship

Behaviour ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 147 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Leese ◽  
Jennifer Snekser ◽  
Murray Itzkowitz
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Selection Pressure ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Sexual Competition ◽  
Selection Pressures ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Stegastes Leucostictus ◽  
Brood Defense ◽  
Natural And Sexual Selection

AbstractNatural and sexual selection often act in opposing directions, forcing individuals to prioritize activities necessary for survival with those required for reproduction. We examined the interaction of natural and sexual selection pressures on the behaviour of beaugregory damselfish, Stegastes leucostictus, by presenting territorial males with an egg predator and either a male or female conspecific, requiring males to prioritize brood defense with either courtship or intra-sexual competition. By measuring the time spent near stimuli, we examined the influence of several factors, including stimuli type, variation in predator number, and the presence of eggs in a nest site. Generally, males spent more time with conspecific stimuli than egg predators, suggesting that the sexual selection pressures of deterring rivals and attracting mates outweigh the natural selection pressure to engage in brood defense. This decision was affected by the sex of the conspecific presented, the presence of eggs in a male's territory, and a number of interactions of these factors, indicating that male damselfish consider multiple factors before investing in certain types and intensities of behaviours. Furthermore, observations of behaviours associated with courtship and intrasexual aggression show that a natural selection pressure impacts intra- and inter-sexually selected behaviours differently in this system.

scholarly journals Responses of terrestrial polar arthropods to high and increasing temperatures

2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Bahrndorff ◽  
Jannik M. S. Lauritzen ◽  
Mathias H. Sørensen ◽  
Natasja K. Noer ◽  
Torsten N. Kristensen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Heat Tolerance ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Evolutionary Adaptation ◽  
Thermal Plasticity ◽  
Terrestrial Arthropods ◽  
Physiological Adjustments

ABSTRACT Terrestrial arthropods in the Arctic and Antarctic are exposed to extreme and variable temperatures, and climate change is predicted to be especially pronounced in these regions. Available ecophysiological studies on terrestrial ectotherms from the Arctic and Antarctic typically focus on the ability of species to tolerate the extreme low temperatures that can occur in these regions, whereas studies investigating species plasticity and the importance of evolutionary adaptation to periodically high and increasing temperatures are limited. Here, we provide an overview of current knowledge on thermal adaptation to high temperatures of terrestrial arthropods in Arctic and Antarctic regions. Firstly, we summarize the literature on heat tolerance for terrestrial arthropods in these regions, and discuss variation in heat tolerance across species, habitats and polar regions. Secondly, we discuss the potential for species to cope with increasing and more variable temperatures through thermal plasticity and evolutionary adaptation. Thirdly, we summarize our current knowledge of the underlying physiological adjustments to heat stress in arthropods from polar regions. It is clear that very little data are available on the heat tolerance of arthropods in polar regions, but that large variation in arthropod thermal tolerance exists across polar regions, habitats and species. Further, the species investigated show unique physiological adjustments to heat stress, such as their ability to respond quickly to increasing or extreme temperatures. To understand the consequences of climate change on terrestrial arthropods in polar regions, we suggest that more studies on the ability of species to cope with stressful high and variable temperatures are needed.

scholarly journals Snowshoe hares display limited phenotypic plasticity to mismatch in seasonal camouflage

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1782) ◽  
pp. 20140029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marketa Zimova ◽  
L. Scott Mills ◽  
Paul M. Lukacs ◽  
Michael S. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Coat Colour ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Adaptive Solution ◽  
Snow Conditions ◽  
Study Sites

As duration of snow cover decreases owing to climate change, species undergoing seasonal colour moults can become colour mismatched with their background. The immediate adaptive solution to this mismatch is phenotypic plasticity, either in phenology of seasonal colour moults or in behaviours that reduce mismatch or its consequences. We observed nearly 200 snowshoe hares across a wide range of snow conditions and two study sites in Montana, USA, and found minimal plasticity in response to mismatch between coat colour and background. We found that moult phenology varied between study sites, likely due to differences in photoperiod and climate, but was largely fixed within study sites with only minimal plasticity to snow conditions during the spring white-to-brown moult. We also found no evidence that hares modify their behaviour in response to colour mismatch. Hiding and fleeing behaviours and resting spot preference of hares were more affected by variables related to season, site and concealment by vegetation, than by colour mismatch. We conclude that plasticity in moult phenology and behaviours in snowshoe hares is insufficient for adaptation to camouflage mismatch, suggesting that any future adaptation to climate change will require natural selection on moult phenology or behaviour.

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