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How flexible is phenotypic plasticity? Developmental windows for trait induction and reversal.
Jason T Hoverman1, Rick A Relyea
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA. jthst21@pitt.edu
Ecology
|May 17, 2007
Summary
Prey can develop defenses against predators, but timing matters. Snails showed inducible defenses, but late induction incurred costs and reversal was limited by development.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Inducible defenses allow prey to adjust to predation risk, reducing costs of constant defenses.
- Understanding developmental plasticity is crucial for trait formation, ontogeny, and defense reversal in prey.
- Previous studies often focused on single developmental points, limiting a full understanding of phenotypic decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of developmental timing in the formation and reversal of inducible defenses in freshwater snails.
- To examine the ecological costs and benefits of inducible defenses induced at different developmental stages.
- To determine the developmental windows for defense induction and reversal in Helisoma trivolvis.
Main Methods:
- Freshwater snails (Helisoma trivolvis) were exposed to varying predation risk from water bugs (Belostoma flumineum) across different developmental stages.
- Morphological defenses were assessed in snails reared under constant absence, constant presence, or fluctuating predation risk.
- Developmental trajectories, shell thickness, and defense reversal capabilities were analyzed based on induction timing.
Main Results:
- Snails successfully formed morphological defenses in response to predator presence.
- Inducible defenses, once formed, did not alter subsequent developmental trajectories compared to predator-free conditions.
- Late induction of defenses incurred costs, such as reduced shell thickness, and defense reversal was limited to early development.
Conclusions:
- A developmental perspective is essential for understanding the ecology of inducible defenses, highlighting the importance of timing and resource limitation.
- Temporal variation in predation risk influences the costs and benefits of inducible defenses.
- Developmental constraints, particularly modular growth, limit the plasticity and reversal of inducible defenses in snails.
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