Does Plasticity Trade Off With Basal Heat Tolerance?
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Updated: Dec 19, 2025

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
Published on: March 9, 2021
Belinda van Heerwaarden1, Vanessa Kellermann2
1School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract:
Studies suggest that many species are already living close to their upper physiological thermal limits. Phenotypic plasticity is thought to be an important mechanism for species to counter rapid environmental change, yet the extent to which plastic responses may buffer projected climate change - and what limits the evolution of plasticity - is still unclear. The tolerance-plasticity trade-off hypothesis predicts that the evolution of plasticity may be constrained by a species' thermal tolerance. Empirical evidence is equivocal, but we argue that inconsistent patterns likely reflect problems in experimental design/analysis, limiting our ability to detect and interpret trade-off patterns. Here, we address why we may, or may not see tolerance-plasticity trade-offs and outline a framework addressing current limitations, focusing on understanding the underlying mechanisms.
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