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Phenotypic plasticity as a long-term memory easing readaptations to ancestral environments.

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Organisms "remember" ancestral environments through phenotypic plasticity, which drives readaptation. This environmental memory influences future evolutionary trajectories, as seen in chickens and other species.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genomics
  • Phenotypic plasticity

Background:

  • Phenotypic plasticity, environment-induced changes without mutation, is crucial for adaptation.
  • Its role in readaptation to ancestral environments is less understood.
  • Understanding this mechanism is key to predicting evolutionary responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the role of phenotypic plasticity in readaptation to ancestral environments.
  • Examine transcriptomic changes in chickens during reciprocal adaptation.
  • Determine if phenotypic plasticity facilitates return to ancestral states.

Main Methods:

  • Reciprocal transplant experiment with chickens adapted to high-altitude and lowland environments.
  • Multitissue transcriptome analysis to compare gene expression patterns.
  • Assessment of egg hatchability as a measure of fitness.

Main Results:

  • Forward adaptation to the Tibetan Plateau involved genetic transcriptomic changes.
  • When returned to the lowland, Tibetan chickens showed plastic transcriptomic shifts towards ancestral states.
  • Egg hatchability also reflected this plastic readaptation, improving in the ancestral environment.

Conclusions:

  • Organisms exhibit a form of "memory" of their ancestral environments via phenotypic plasticity.
  • Phenotypic plasticity plays a significant role in readaptation processes.
  • This mechanism highlights how past environmental experiences shape future evolutionary paths.