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Updated: Dec 1, 2025
07:54
Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
Published on: March 9, 2021
3.2K
Selection on phenotypic plasticity favors thermal canalization.
Erik I Svensson1, Miguel Gomez-Llano2,3, John T Waller2,4
1Department of Biology, Lund University, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden; erik.svensson@biol.lu.se.
Summary
Climate change impacts species, but thermal plasticity may not always be adaptive. Selection favors reduced plasticity, challenging the view that it benefits organisms in changing environments.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Ecology
- Climate change research
Background:
- Climate change poses extinction risks to global populations.
- Phenotypic plasticity, especially to temperature, is a key response.
- The adaptiveness of thermal plasticity and its evolutionary drivers are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how natural and sexual selection shape phenotypic plasticity.
- Examine thermal reaction norms in two sympatric insect species.
- Determine if thermal plasticity is adaptive under current climate change.
Main Methods:
- Studied two congeneric insect species.
- Analyzed thermal optima for longevity and mating success.
- Assessed natural selection on thermal reaction norm slopes.
Main Results:
- Differing thermal optima for survival and reproduction indicate trade-offs.
- Males evolved divergent baseline temperatures, with northern species having higher optima.
- Natural selection favored reduced plasticity at high temperatures, indicating current levels are maladaptive.
Conclusions:
- Phenotypic plasticity to temperature may be maladaptive under climate change.
- Selection promotes thermal canalization and robustness, not plasticity.
- Ectotherms, even at high latitudes, face overheating risks, challenging established views.
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