MEASURING NATURAL SELECTION ON PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY

Evolution ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1704-1713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel M. Scheiner ◽  
Hilary S. Callahan
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity

3. How behaviour develops

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristram D. Wyatt
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Gene Frequencies ◽  
Brain Gene Expression ◽  
Genes And Environment

Behaviours evolve by natural selection. As genes influence how behaviours develop, selection on behaviour will alter gene frequencies in subsequent generations: genes that lead to successful behaviours in foraging, parental care, or mate choice, for example, will be represented in more individuals in future generations. If conditions change, then mutations of the genes that give rise to advantageous behaviours will be favoured by selection. ‘How behaviour develops’ explains that the environment is equally important: both genes and environment are intimately and interactively involved in behaviour development. Behavioural imprinting is also discussed along with co-opting genes, gene regulation, social influences on brain gene expression, phenotypic plasticity, and play.

Adaptation to heterogeneous environments. II.* Phenotypic plasticity in response to spacing in Linum

1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 519 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Khan ◽  
AD Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Genetic Control ◽  
Linum Usitatissimum ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Heterogeneous Environments ◽  
Varietal Differences ◽  
Individual Character ◽  
Abundant Evidence ◽  
Epigenetic Processes

Six varieties of Linum usitatissimum, three of flax and three of linseed, were grown under field conditions at six different spacings, from 1 to 32 in. (2.5–81.3 cm) apart. There was abundant evidence of varietal differences in phenotypic plasticity in response to variation in spacing. This indicates that response to spacing is a genetically controlled and not an automatic phenomenon. The major differences were between the flax and linseed groups; linseed varieties were more responsive in branching. However, there were considerable differences between varieties within each group. Different characters showed very different patterns and degrees of response, which indicated that control of response operates on an individual character rather than on a whole organisms basis. Plausible explanations in terms of natural selection can be given for the origin of many of the differences in the response of varieties and in characters. Taken as a whole, the results suggest that there is precise genetic control of the epigenetic processes involved in the response of plants to spacing, and that evolution of different patterns of response can easily occur. _______________ *Part 1, Evolution, 22: 496-516 (1968).

scholarly journals Plasticity-led evolution: evaluating the key prediction of frequency-dependent adaptation

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1897) ◽  
pp. 20182754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Levis ◽  
David W. Pfennig
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Adaptive Refinement ◽  
Fairy Shrimp ◽  
Extreme Form ◽  
Spadefoot Toad ◽  
Evolution By Natural Selection

Plasticity-led evolution occurs when a change in the environment triggers a change in phenotype via phenotypic plasticity, and this pre-existing plasticity is subsequently refined by selection into an adaptive phenotype. A critical, but largely untested prediction of plasticity-led evolution (and evolution by natural selection generally) is that the rate and magnitude of evolutionary change should be positively associated with a phenotype's frequency of expression in a population. Essentially, the more often a phenotype is expressed and exposed to selection, the greater its opportunity for adaptive refinement. We tested this prediction by competing against each other spadefoot toad tadpoles from different natural populations that vary in how frequently they express a novel, environmentally induced carnivore ecomorph. As expected, laboratory-reared tadpoles whose parents were derived from populations that express the carnivore ecomorph more frequently were superior competitors for the resource for which this ecomorph is specialized—fairy shrimp. These tadpoles were better at using this resource both because they were more efficient at capturing and consuming shrimp and because they produced more exaggerated carnivore traits. Moreover, they exhibited these more carnivore-like features even without experiencing the inducing cue, suggesting that this ecomorph has undergone an extreme form of plasticity-led evolution—genetic assimilation. Thus, our findings provide evidence that the frequency of trait expression drives the magnitude of adaptive refinement, thereby validating a key prediction of plasticity-led evolution specifically and adaptive evolution generally.

scholarly journals How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1826) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson Ashe ◽  
Vincent Colot ◽  
Benjamin P. Oldroyd
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Genome Stability ◽  
Epigenetic Variation ◽  
Sequence Evolution ◽  
Phenotypic Variance ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
The One ◽  
A Minor

Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene activity that can be transmitted through cell divisions but cannot be explained by changes in the DNA sequence. Epigenetic mechanisms are central to gene regulation, phenotypic plasticity, development and the preservation of genome integrity. Epigenetic mechanisms are often held to make a minor contribution to evolutionary change because epigenetic states are typically erased and reset at every generation, and are therefore, not heritable. Nonetheless, there is growing appreciation that epigenetic variation makes direct and indirect contributions to evolutionary processes. First, some epigenetic states are transmitted intergenerationally and affect the phenotype of offspring. Moreover, bona fide heritable ‘epialleles' exist and are quite common in plants. Such epialleles could, therefore, be subject to natural selection in the same way as conventional DNA sequence-based alleles. Second, epigenetic variation enhances phenotypic plasticity and phenotypic variance and thus can modulate the effect of natural selection on sequence-based genetic variation. Third, given that phenotypic plasticity is central to the adaptability of organisms, epigenetic mechanisms that generate plasticity and acclimation are important to consider in evolutionary theory. Fourth, some genes are under selection to be ‘imprinted' identifying the sex of the parent from which they were derived, leading to parent-of-origin-dependent gene expression and effects. These effects can generate hybrid disfunction and contribute to speciation. Finally, epigenetic processes, particularly DNA methylation, contribute directly to DNA sequence evolution, because they act as mutagens on the one hand and modulate genome stability on the other by keeping transposable elements in check. This article is part of the theme issue ‘How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?'

scholarly journals Natural selection and maladaptive plasticity in the red-shouldered soapberry bug

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
M L Cenzer
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Soapberry Bug ◽  
Maladaptive Plasticity ◽  
Beak Length ◽  
Native Host

AbstractNatural selection and phenotypic plasticity can both produce locally differentiated phenotypes, but novel environments or gene combinations can produce plasticity that works in opposition to adaptive change. The red-shouldered soapberry bug (Jadera haematoloma) was locally adapted to feed on the seeds of an introduced and a native host plant in Florida in the 1980s. By 2014, local differentiation was lost and replaced by phenotypically similar populations all adapted to the introduced host, likely as a result of gene flow. Here, I quantify the effects of these two host plants on individual performance, natural selection, and phenotypic plasticity. I find that the seed coat and seedpod of the native host have strong negative effects on juvenile survival and adult reproduction compared to the introduced host. I find support for the hypothesis that the seedpod is driving diversifying natural selection on beak length, which was previously locally adapted between hosts. I also find maladaptive plasticity induced by host plant: bugs develop beak lengths that are mismatched with the seedpod size of the host they are reared on. This plasticity may be the result of gene flow; hybrids in the 1990s showed the same pattern of maladaptive plasticity, and plasticity is stronger in the present in areas with high gene flow. Although ongoing natural selection has produced locally adapted genotypes in soapberry bugs, maladaptive plasticity has masked the phenotypic difference between populations in the field.

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.

NATURAL SELECTION FOR GRAZER RESISTANCE TO TOXIC CYANOBACTERIA: EVOLUTION OF PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY?

Evolution ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 2203 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. G. Hairston Jr. ◽  
C. L. Holtmeier ◽  
W. Lampert ◽  
L. J. Weider ◽  
D. M. Post ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Toxic Cyanobacteria ◽  
Selection For

Selection on Functional Response Parameters

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-78
Author(s):  
John P. DeLong
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Functional Response ◽  
Population Cycles ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Arms Race ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Influence Functional ◽  
Key Features

In this chapter I show why there should be selection on traits associated with functional response parameters. I describe this using standard quantitative genetics techniques to show how a classic evolutionary arms race arises and how it depends on key features of the functional response. I suggest this arms race is more aptly described as a tug-of-war. I then show that selection on the predator and prey components of space clearance rate is synchronous for predator and prey through population cycles but alternating between predator and prey for handling time. I suggest that trade-offs, ecological pleiotropy, and phenotypic plasticity can slow natural selection on traits that influence functional response parameters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document