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Rapid evolution of phenotypic plasticity in patchy habitats
Nawsheen T Promy1, Mitchell Newberry2,3, Davorka Gulisija4,5
1Department of Computer Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA.
Scientific Reports
|November 6, 2023
Summary
Balancing selection can maintain genetic variation for phenotypic plasticity in patchy environments. This genetic polymorphism, sustained by population structure, may explain the rapid evolution of plasticity observed in nature.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Population genetics
Background:
- Phenotypic plasticity allows populations to persist through environmental changes.
- Rapid evolution often relies on substantial genetic variation at selected genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how balancing selection maintains genetic polymorphism for phenotypic plasticity.
- To explore the role of population structure in patchy habitats for plasticity evolution.
Main Methods:
- Stochastic Monte Carlo simulations.
- Deterministic analysis of a plasticity modifier locus.
- Examination of various parameters: selection, plasticity, population size, and migration.
Main Results:
- Polymorphism in phenotypic plasticity is maintained across diverse environmental scenarios in patchy habitats.
- Population structure in these habitats exerts a balancing effect, sustaining genetic variation.
- Balancing selection is a plausible mechanism for maintaining polymorphism for plasticity.
Conclusions:
- Population structure in patchy habitats can maintain genetic variation for phenotypic plasticity.
- This mechanism offers a novel explanation for the rapid evolution of plasticity.
- Immigration from populations with different selection regimes can facilitate rapid plasticity evolution from variation maintained by balancing selection.
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