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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
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Developmental plasticity and evolutionary explanations.

Tobias Uller1, Nathalie Feiner1, Reinder Radersma1

  • 1Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Evolution & Development
|September 20, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Developmental plasticity offers evolutionary insights but faces debate. This study argues that differing scientific assumptions, not plasticity itself, cause disagreements on its role in adaptive evolution.

Keywords:
developmental plasticityexplanationidealizationplasticity-first evolutionreaction norm

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Developmental plasticity is debated as a core mechanism or add-on in adaptive evolution.
  • Existing evolutionary frameworks may obscure plasticity's role.
  • Reconciling ecological and developmental views on evolution is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the reasons behind the lack of consensus on developmental plasticity's role in evolution.
  • To analyze how scientific idealizations impact the understanding of plasticity in evolutionary explanations.
  • To demonstrate the value of incorporating developmental plasticity into evolutionary theory.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of idealizations in evolutionary explanations.
  • Examination of reaction norms as a representation of plasticity.
  • Illustrative examples from evolutionary biology.

Main Results:

  • Differences in opinion stem from contrasting simplifying assumptions in evolutionary models.
  • Idealizations for natural selection can hinder understanding of development, and vice versa.
  • Representing plasticity as a reaction norm aligns with selective explanations, potentially understating its impact.

Conclusions:

  • Evolutionary explanations that integrate developmental plasticity provide a more comprehensive understanding.
  • Addressing idealizations is key to resolving debates about plasticity's evolutionary significance.
  • Developmental plasticity is integral, not optional, to adaptive evolutionary processes.