A Developmental-Physiological Perspective on the Development and Evolution of Phenotypic Plasticity

Nijhout, H. Frederik

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9412-1_7

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 148 publications

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“…In the light of this property, the notion arose that plasticity generally reduces the pace of evolutionary change as it partially uncouples the genotype from the phenotype and thus shields the genotype from the force of natural selection. Hence, it would move a trait effectively to an ‘evolutionary slower lane’ (Stebbins ; Williams ; Meyer ; Bell & Aubin‐Horth ; Nijhout ).…”

Section: Phenotypic Plasticity's Effect On Evolution and Speciationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As plasticity provides increased phenotypic variation, it is likely to also be a prime driver of evolutionary processes such as phenotypic diversification. However, in the era of the ‘modern synthesis’, phenotypic plasticity was typically seen as being confounding for experiments, as the plastic response altered the phenotypes in a way that is not directly determined by the genotypes (West‐Eberhard ; Nijhout ; Sultan ). In the light of this property, the notion arose that plasticity generally reduces the pace of evolutionary change as it partially uncouples the genotype from the phenotype and thus shields the genotype from the force of natural selection.…”

Section: Phenotypic Plasticity's Effect On Evolution and Speciationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How plasticity, genetic assimilation and cryptic genetic variation may contribute to adaptive radiations

2016

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There is increasing evidence that phenotypic plasticity can promote population divergence by facilitating phenotypic diversification and, eventually, genetic divergence. When a 'plastic' population colonizes a new habitat, it has the possibility to occupy multiple niches by expressing several distinct phenotypes. These initially reflect the population's plastic range but may later become genetically fixed by selection via the process of 'genetic assimilation' (GA). Through this process multiple specialized sister lineages can arise that share a common plastic ancestor - the 'flexible stem'. Here, we review possible molecular mechanisms through which natural selection could fix an initially plastic trait during GA. These mechanisms could also explain how GA may contribute to cryptic genetic variation that can subsequently be coopted into other phenotypes or traits, but also lead to nonadaptive responses. We outline the predicted patterns of genetic and transcriptional divergence accompanying flexible stem radiations. The analysis of such patterns of (retained) adaptive and nonadaptive plastic responses within and across radiating lineages can inform on the state of ongoing GA. We conclude that, depending on the stability of the environment, the molecular architecture underlying plastic traits can facilitate diversification, followed by fixation and consolidation of an adaptive phenotype and degeneration of nonadaptive ones. Additionally, the process of GA may increase the cryptic genetic variation of populations, which on one hand may serve as substrate for evolution, but on another may be responsible for nonadaptive responses that consolidate local allopatry and thus reproductive isolation.

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Section: Phenotypic Plasticity's Effect On Evolution and Speciationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phenotypic Plasticity's Effect On Evolution and Speciationmentioning

confidence: 99%

How plasticity, genetic assimilation and cryptic genetic variation may contribute to adaptive radiations

2016

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“…We are just beginning to catalogue the range of variation in phenotypic plasticity across species, individuals and traits, and to understand the underlying developmental and physiological mechanisms [53]. We need evolutionary theory to complete this picture.…”

Section: (C) Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of sensitive periods in a model of incremental development

2016

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Sensitive periods, in which experience shapes phenotypic development to a larger extent than other periods, are widespread in nature. Despite a recent focus on neural-physiological explanation, few formal models have examined the evolutionary selection pressures that result in developmental mechanisms that produce sensitive periods. Here, we present such a model. We model development as a specialization process during which individuals incrementally adapt to local environmental conditions, while receiving a constant stream of cost-free, imperfect cues to the environmental state. We compute optimal developmental programmes across a range of ecological conditions and use these programmes to simulate developmental trajectories and obtain distributions of mature phenotypes. We highlight four main results. First, matching the empirical record, sensitive periods often result from experience or from a combination of age and experience, but rarely from age alone. Second, individual differences in sensitive periods emerge as a result of stochasticity in cues: individuals who obtain more consistent cue sets lose their plasticity at faster rates. Third, in some cases, experience shapes phenotypes only at a later life stage (lagged effects). Fourth, individuals might perseverate along developmental trajectories despite accumulating evidence suggesting the alternate trajectory is more likely to match the ecology.. . .we all begin with the natural equipment to live a thousand kinds of life but end in the end having lived only one.-Clifford Geertz, 1973

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“…Early life conditions influence fitness traits and life-history trade-offs (Nijhout 2015;Stearns 1982). As a result, early life conditions can induce long-lasting effects on fitness and population dynamics, shaping populations' evolutionary trajectories, species distribution range and extinction risks (Criscuolo et al 2008;Lindström 1999;Monaghan 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative developmental ecology: a review of density-dependent effects on life-history traits and host-microbe interactions in non-social holometabolous insects

Ponton

Morimoto

2020

Evol Ecol

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Population density modulates a wide range of eco-evolutionary processes including inter- and intra-specific competition, fitness and population dynamics. In holometabolous insects, the larval stage is particularly susceptible to density-dependent effects because the larva is the resource-acquiring stage. Larval density-dependent effects can modulate the expression of life-history traits not only in the larval and adult stages but also downstream for population dynamics and evolution. Better understanding the scope and generality of density-dependent effects on life-history traits of current and future generations can provide useful knowledge for both theory and experiments in developmental ecology. Here, we review the literature on larval density-dependent effects on fitness of non-social holometabolous insects. First, we provide a functional definition of density to navigate the terminology in the literature. We then classify the biological levels upon which larval density-dependent effects can be observed followed by a review of the literature produced over the past decades across major non-social holometabolous groups. Next, we argue that host-microbe interactions are yet an overlooked biological level susceptible to density-dependent effects and propose a conceptual model to explain how density-dependent effects on host-microbe interactions can modulate density-dependent fitness curves. In summary, this review provides an integrative framework of density-dependent effects across biological levels which can be used to guide future research in the field of ecology and evolution.

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A Developmental-Physiological Perspective on the Development and Evolution of Phenotypic Plasticity

Cited by 8 publications

References 148 publications

How plasticity, genetic assimilation and cryptic genetic variation may contribute to adaptive radiations

How plasticity, genetic assimilation and cryptic genetic variation may contribute to adaptive radiations

The evolution of sensitive periods in a model of incremental development

Integrative developmental ecology: a review of density-dependent effects on life-history traits and host-microbe interactions in non-social holometabolous insects

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