Resolving the consequences of gradual phenotypic plasticity for populations in variable environments

Fey, Samuel B.; Kremer, Colin T.; Layden, Tamara J.; Vasseur, David A.

doi:10.1002/ecm.1478

Cited by 21 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 74 publications

(95 reference statements)

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“…Developing a more mechanistic foundation for these patterns and building on prior work in this area (Geider et al 1997, Li et al 2017) would be invaluable. Finally, while our results indicate that photoperiod and photoacclimation can alter the interaction between irradiance and temperature, fluctuations in temperature are also common in nature, introducing the potential complication of thermal acclimation (Kremer et al 2018, Fey et al 2021.…”

Section: Implications For Understanding Phytoplankton Dynamics In Naturementioning

confidence: 73%

Photoperiod influences the shape and scaling of freshwater phytoplankton responses to light and temperature

Theus

Layden

McWilliams

et al. 2022

Oikos

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Light fluctuations are ubiquitous, exist across multiple spatial and temporal scales, and directly affect the physiology and ecology of photoautotrophs. However, the indirect effects of light fluctuations on the sensitivity of organisms to other key environmental factors are unclear. Here, we evaluate how photoperiod regime (period of time each day where organisms receive light), a dynamic element of aquatic ecosystems, can influence the interactive effects of temperature and irradiance (intensity of light) on the growth rate of phytoplankton populations. We first completed a literature review and meta-analysis that suggests photoperiod alters the individual effects of temperature -but not irradiance -on algal growth rates and that highlights how few studies experimentally manipulate photoperiod, temperature and irradiance. To address this empirical gap, we conducted a set of laboratory experiments on three freshwater phytoplankton species (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella vulgaris and Cryptomonas ovata). We measured performance surfaces relating growth rate to irradiance and temperature gradients for each species in constant (24:0 h of light:dark) environments. We then evaluated whether analogous surfaces measured under different photoperiods (6:18, 12:12 and 16:8 h of light:dark) and scaled by the duration of light availability could be inferred from results under constant light. For a majority of the combinations of species and photoperiods examined, photoperiod meaningfully altered the intercept and shape of performance surfaces. These differences were most pronounced under the shortest photoperiod (6:18 h light:dark), where populations underperformed expectations. Alterations to performance surfaces were non-linear and mostly structured by temperature with higher temperatures yielding higher than anticipated growth rates. Collectively, these experiments and synthesis reveal the potential for photoperiod regime to influence the effects of temperature, irradiance and their interaction on phytoplankton growth. Beyond the environmental variables and organisms presently considered, this research highlights the capacity for dynamic, abiotic variables to exert direct effects while also influencing relationships among other environmental factors.

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Section: Implications For Understanding Phytoplankton Dynamics In Naturementioning

confidence: 73%

Photoperiod influences the shape and scaling of freshwater phytoplankton responses to light and temperature

Theus

Layden

McWilliams

et al. 2022

Oikos

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“…Accordingly, there has been scant consideration of the types of environments in which rates of RPP may be of particular importance. However, several recent contributions have developed verbal predictions describing the types of environments where rates of RPP may be of ecological significance (Fey et al, 2021; Kremer et al, 2018; Pinek et al, 2020). In two of these key papers, these predictions were tested by measuring the growth rate of experimental populations of phytoplankton that differed in initial phenotype (as induced by prior acclimation to different temperatures) and were exposed to different patterns of temperature fluctuation (e.g., temperature could fluctuate in a particular direction or the amplitude or frequency of temperature cycles could vary).…”

Section: The Rate Of Plasticity In An Ecological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The environmental domains where the rate of plasticity in population growth held ecological importance were then assumed to be indicated where models that accounted for the rate of plasticity were able to outperform models that either disregarded the rate of plasticity or assumed that it occurred instantaneously. This process of confronting predictions with experimental data indicated that the ecological consequences associated with rates of plasticity likely depend on interactions between the past environments experienced by individuals in a population (because this will influence the ‘initial’ phenotype of those individuals and thus determine how much phenotypic change will be required to produce the new phenotype in the new environment) and the magnitude, frequency and direction of change in the current environment (Fey et al, 2021; Kremer et al, 2018).…”

Section: The Rate Of Plasticity In An Ecological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the fundamental advances offered by the work of Kremer et al (2018), Pinek et al (2020) and Fey et al (2021), the reality remains that ecological processes can be influenced by evolution (and vice versa, Govaert et al, 2019). This raises the enticing possibility that future investigation into the ecological implications associated with rates of RPP may benefit from the development of quantitative theory that also considers the evolutionary potential of this component of plasticity.…”

Section: Can the Rate Of Plasticity Evolve?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental change and the rate of phenotypic plasticity

Burton

Ratikainen

Einum

2022

Global Change Biology

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With rapid and less predictable environmental change emerging as the ‘new norm’, understanding how individuals tolerate environmental stress via plastic, often reversible changes to the phenotype (i.e., reversible phenotypic plasticity, RPP), remains a key issue in ecology. Here, we examine the potential for better understanding how organisms overcome environmental challenges within their own lifetimes by scrutinizing a somewhat overlooked aspect of RPP, namely the rate at which it can occur. Although recent advances in the field provide indication of the aspects of environmental change where RPP rates may be of particular ecological relevance, we observe that current theoretical models do not consider the evolutionary potential of the rate of RPP. Whilst recent theory underscores the importance of environmental predictability in determining the slope of the evolved reaction norm for a given trait (i.e., how much plasticity can occur), a hitherto neglected possibility is that the rate of plasticity might be a more dynamic component of this relationship than previously assumed. If the rate of plasticity itself can evolve, as empirical evidence foreshadows, rates of plasticity may have the potential to alter the level predictability in the environment as perceived by the organism and thus influence the slope of the evolved reaction norm. However, optimality in the rate of phenotypic plasticity, its evolutionary dynamics in different environments and influence of constraints imposed by associated costs remain unexplored and may represent fruitful avenues of exploration in future theoretical and empirical treatments of the topic. We conclude by reviewing published studies of RPP rates, providing suggestions for improving the measurement of RPP rates, both in terms of experimental design and in the statistical quantification of this component of plasticity.

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“…This process is usually referred to as phenotypic plasticity. Exploring the mechanism of phenotypic plasticity will help us understand future changes in species distribution and community composition, and manage the forest and crop production [10][11][12]. At present, phenotypic plasticity is a central issue of plant eco-physiological studies [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaf Anatomical Plasticity of Phyllostachys glauca McClure in Limestone Mountains Was Associated with Both Soil Water and Soil Nutrients

Yang

et al. 2022

Forests

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Little is known on how karst plants adapt to highly heterogeneous habitats via adjusting leaf anatomical structures. Phyllostachys glauca McClure is a dominant species that grow across different microhabitats in the limestone mountains of Jiangxi Province, China. We investigated the leaf anatomical structures, plant biomass, soil water content, soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil total phosphorus (TP) from three habitats characterized by different rock exposure, including high rock exposure (HRE), medium rock exposure (MRE) and low rock exposure (LRE), and aimed to discern the relationships between the leaf anatomical plasticity and edaphic factors. The leaves of P. glauca in different habitats showed significant anatomical plasticity in two aspects. First, the leaves adjusted cuticle thickness, papillae length, bulliform cell size and mesophyll thickness to lower water loss and then adapt to the water-deficient habitats (HRE). Second, the leaves enlarged vessels and vascular bundles (first-order and second-order parallel veins) to improve water and nutrient transportation and then enhance plant growth in nitrogen-rich habitats (HRE). Soil water and soil nutrients purely explained the total variation of leaf anatomical traits by 21.7% and 15.7%, respectively, and had a shared proportion of 15.8%. Our results indicated that the leaf anatomical variations in different habitats were associated with both soil water and soil nutrients. Moreover, we found that leaf anatomical structures were more affected by TN than TP. The present study advanced the current understanding of the strategies employed by karst plants to cope with highly heterogeneous habitats via leaf anatomical plasticity.

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Resolving the consequences of gradual phenotypic plasticity for populations in variable environments

Cited by 21 publications

References 74 publications

Photoperiod influences the shape and scaling of freshwater phytoplankton responses to light and temperature

Photoperiod influences the shape and scaling of freshwater phytoplankton responses to light and temperature

Environmental change and the rate of phenotypic plasticity

Leaf Anatomical Plasticity of Phyllostachys glauca McClure in Limestone Mountains Was Associated with Both Soil Water and Soil Nutrients

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