Are dispersal-dependent behavioral traits produced by phenotypic plasticity?
Sandrine Meylan1, Michèle de Fraipont, Pedro Aragon
1Laboratoire d'Ecologie, Université de Paris, Paris, France. smeylan@snv.jussieu.fr
Summary
Dispersing and philopatric common lizards (Lacerta vivipara) show distinct behaviors 10 months post-dispersal. This study found no evidence of phenotypic plasticity influencing these dispersal-dependent traits.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Dispersal is a common survival strategy in response to adverse environmental conditions.
- While beneficial, dispersal is often associated with costs, leading to evolved differences between dispersers and philopatric individuals.
- Understanding the role of phenotypic plasticity in shaping these differences is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to dispersal-dependent behavioral traits in the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara).
- To compare behavioral differences between dispersing and philopatric individuals after a dispersal phase.
- To determine if environmental conditions during development influence these behavioral traits.
Main Methods:
- A reciprocal transplant experiment was conducted with common lizards.
- Environmental conditions (maternal and natal sites) and release sites were manipulated.
- Behavioral traits including activity, social interactions, and foraging were measured at birth and post-dispersal.
Main Results:
- Significant behavioral differences persisted between dispersing and philopatric individuals 10 months after dispersal.
- Individuals demonstrated dispersal-status dependent reactions, suggesting recognition of conspecifics' dispersal status.
- No behavioral traits examined were influenced by maternal or natal environmental conditions, indicating a lack of phenotypic plasticity.
Conclusions:
- Dispersal status, rather than environmental plasticity, strongly influences long-term behavioral traits in common lizards.
- Individuals can likely recognize the dispersal status of conspecifics.
- Phenotypic plasticity does not appear to play a significant role in the development of these specific dispersal-dependent behaviors.
Related Concept Videos
00:54Distribution and Dispersion
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with one another. An important aspect of ecology is understanding where species are found and how individuals are distributed within those areas. The geographic range of a species refers to the total area where its members are located, while dispersion describes the pattern of spacing of individuals within that range.Geographic Range and Dispersion PatternsWithin a species’ geographic range, individuals may be distributed...
01:46Types of Selection
Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
01:05Instinctive Drift
Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to their innate behaviors despite repeated reinforcement. Breland and Breland demonstrated this concept in an experiment with a raccoon. The raccoon was trained to pick up two coins and place them in a container in exchange for food. Initially, the raccoon learned to associate the coins with food, making them a conditioned stimulus or a substitute for food. However, over time, the raccoon became less willing to put the coins into the...
02:27Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
03:33Genetic Drift
Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.Life is not fair. A deer grazing contentedly in a field can have her meal cut tragically short by a bolt of lightning. If the doomed doe is one of only three in the population, 1/3 of the population’s gene pool is lost. Random events like this can...
01:21Frequency-dependent Selection
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...