Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Replicated evolution of integrated plastic responses during early adaptive divergence.

Kevin J Parsons1, Beren W Robinson

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. parsons@uoguelph.ca

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 3, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to environmental changes, can drive early adaptive evolution in novel environments. Sunfish ecomorphs show that selection favors coordinated plastic responses, leading to divergence.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Effects of spawning habitat on the performance of age-0 pumpkinseed sunfish (<i>Lepomis gibbosus</i>) ecotypes in a Canadian shield lake.

Environmental biology of fishes·2026
Same author

The evolution of genomic organization through chromosomal rearrangements in Arctic charr (<i>Salvelinus alpinus</i>).

Genome·2025
Same author

Complex and Dynamic Gene-by-Age and Gene-by-Environment Interactions Underlie Functional Morphological Variation in Adaptive Divergence in Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus).

Evolution & development·2024
Same author

Developmental bias as a cause and consequence of adaptive radiation and divergence.

Frontiers in cell and developmental biology·2024
Same author

Experimental evidence for adaptive divergence in response to a warmed habitat reveals roles for morphology, allometry and parasite resistance.

Ecology and evolution·2024
Same author

Functional trait plasticity diverges between sexes in African cichlids: A contribution toward ecological sexual dimorphism?

Ecology and evolution·2023

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Ecology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Colonization of new environments often leads to adaptive divergence.
  • Phenotypic plasticity's role in adaptation to stable, novel environments is understudied.
  • Plastic traits can be crucial for initial adaptation and divergence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if selection favors plastic responses during early adaptation to novel environments.
  • To compare plastic character responses between ancestral and novel ecomorphs in sunfish.
  • To determine if phenotypic plasticity contributes to adaptive divergence.

Main Methods:

  • Compared plastic responses in external body form of sunfish ecomorphs.
  • Exposed ecomorphs to shallow versus open water conditions in four postglacial lakes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzed the magnitude, integration, and pattern of plastic character responses.

    • Main Results:

    • Open water ecomorphs showed more correlated plastic responses than shallow water ecomorphs in some populations.
    • Differences in the pattern of character responses suggest recent divergence.
    • Open water ecomorphs exhibited larger plastic responses, potentially leading to greater integration.

    Conclusions:

    • Early adaptive evolution in novel environments can involve changes in plastic character states.
    • Selection may favor the accumulation and integration of useful plastic responses.
    • Divergence can occur through changes in the magnitude and coordination of plastic responses, potentially leading to rapid population divergence.