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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Phenotypic plasticity and robustness: evolutionary stability theory, gene expression dynamics model, and laboratory

Kunihiko Kaneko1

  • 1Research Center for Complex Systems Biology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. kaneko@complex.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
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PubMed
Summary

Developmental robustness and plasticity are key evolutionary concepts. Robust evolution decreases phenotype variance from genetic changes, with sufficient developmental noise enhancing robustness to mutation and environmental fluctuations.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology
  • Statistical physics
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Plasticity and robustness are fundamental concepts in developmental dynamics, influencing how phenotypes respond to environmental and genetic changes.
  • Phenotype variance quantifies both plasticity (response to change) and robustness (insensitivity to change).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize plasticity and robustness in developmental dynamics using variance of phenotype distribution.
  • To explore the relationship between developmental noise, genetic variation, and evolutionary robustness.
  • To investigate optimal noise levels for balancing robustness and plasticity in fluctuating environments.

Main Methods:

  • Extending the fluctuation-response relationship from statistical physics.
  • Simulations of gene-expression dynamics models with regulatory networks.
  • Laboratory selection experiments.

Main Results:

  • Phenotype variance is proportional to the response ratio, linking plasticity and variance.
  • Robust evolution leads to decreased phenotype variance from genetic changes, proportional to developmental noise.
  • Robustness to developmental noise confers robustness to mutations.
  • Proportionality between variances holds across different phenotypic traits.
  • An optimal noise level balances robustness and plasticity for fluctuating environments.

Conclusions:

  • Developmental noise plays a crucial role in achieving evolutionary robustness.
  • Robustness to noise is equivalent to robustness to mutation.
  • The study provides a theoretical and experimental framework for understanding plasticity and robustness in evolution.