TY - JOUR
T1 - Toward a population genetic framework of developmental evolution
T2 - The costs, limits, and consequences of phenotypic plasticity
AU - Snell-Rood, Emilie C.
AU - Van Dyken, James David
AU - Cruickshank, Tami
AU - Wade, Michael J.
AU - Moczek, Armin P.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Adaptive phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to cope with environmental variability, and yet, despite its adaptive significance, phenotypic plasticity is neither ubiquitous nor infinite. In this review, we merge developmental and population genetic perspectives to explore costs and limits on the evolution of plasticity. Specifically, we focus on the role of modularity in developmental genetic networks as a mechanism underlying phenotypic plasticity, and apply to it lessons learned from population genetic theory on the interplay between relaxed selection and mutation accumulation. We argue that the environmental specificity of gene expression and the associated reduction in pleiotropic constraints drive a fundamental tradeoff between the range of plasticity that can be accommodated and mutation accumulation in alternative developmental networks. This tradeoff has broad implications for understanding the origin and maintenance of plasticity and may contribute to a better understanding of the role of plasticity in the origin, diversification, and loss of phenotypic diversity.
AB - Adaptive phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to cope with environmental variability, and yet, despite its adaptive significance, phenotypic plasticity is neither ubiquitous nor infinite. In this review, we merge developmental and population genetic perspectives to explore costs and limits on the evolution of plasticity. Specifically, we focus on the role of modularity in developmental genetic networks as a mechanism underlying phenotypic plasticity, and apply to it lessons learned from population genetic theory on the interplay between relaxed selection and mutation accumulation. We argue that the environmental specificity of gene expression and the associated reduction in pleiotropic constraints drive a fundamental tradeoff between the range of plasticity that can be accommodated and mutation accumulation in alternative developmental networks. This tradeoff has broad implications for understanding the origin and maintenance of plasticity and may contribute to a better understanding of the role of plasticity in the origin, diversification, and loss of phenotypic diversity.
KW - Costs and limits
KW - Development
KW - Modularity
KW - Mutation accumulation
KW - Phenotypic plasticity
KW - Pleiotropy
KW - Relaxed selection
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U2 - 10.1002/bies.200900132
DO - 10.1002/bies.200900132
M3 - Review article
C2 - 20020499
AN - SCOPUS:74949103986
SN - 0265-9247
VL - 32
SP - 71
EP - 81
JO - BioEssays
JF - BioEssays
IS - 1
ER -