Fluctuating population dynamics promotes the evolution of phenotypic plasticity
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- University of California, Davis
- Department of Limnology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University
- Department of Zoology & Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia
- Document Type:
- Poster
- Date:
- Received 16 June 2007 13:37 UTC; Posted 16 June 2007
- Subjects:
- Ecology
- Abstract:
An increasing number of studies are showing evidence in support of sympatric speciation. One basic question remains, however. When a population has undergone a branching in its phenotype, is this due to an evolutionary branching in the underlying genotype or due to phenotypic plasticity modifying a single genotype? Thus, phenotypic plasticity has come to be viewed as a trait subject to selection, just like any other phenotypic character1,2. Here we present a model addressing the conditions under which a predator phenotype experiencing selection for two alternative optimal phenotypes gives rise to genetically based phenotypic branching or to phenotypic plasticity, allowing the corresponding genotype to give rise to two alternative, well-adapted phenotypes.
- Presented at:
- Symposium on the Genetics of Speciation, 21 July 2006
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- License:
- This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License
- How to cite this document:
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Pineda-Krch, Mario, Svanbäck, Richard, and Doebeli, Michael. Fluctuating population dynamics promotes the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Available from Nature Precedings <http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npre.2007.56.1> (2007)
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