Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus.
Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a single genotype to produce distinct phenotypes under different environmental conditions, has become a leading concept in ecology and evolutionary biology, with the most extreme examples being the formation of alternative phenotypes (polyphenisms). However, sev...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS Computational Biology |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011823&type=printable |
| _version_ | 1797304749447446528 |
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| author | Ata Kalirad Ralf J Sommer |
| author_facet | Ata Kalirad Ralf J Sommer |
| author_sort | Ata Kalirad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a single genotype to produce distinct phenotypes under different environmental conditions, has become a leading concept in ecology and evolutionary biology, with the most extreme examples being the formation of alternative phenotypes (polyphenisms). However, several aspects associated with phenotypic plasticity remain controversial, such as the existence of associated costs. While already predicted by some of the pioneers of plasticity research, i.e. Schmalhausen and Bradshaw, experimental and theoretical approaches have provided limited support for the costs of plasticity. In experimental studies, one common restriction is the measurement of all relevant parameters over long time periods. Similarly, theoretical studies rarely use modelling approaches that incorporate specific experimentally-derived fitness parameters. Therefore, the existence of the costs of plasticity remains disputed. Here, we provide an integrative approach to understand the cost of adaptive plasticity and its ecological ramifications, by combining laboratory data from the nematode plasticity model system Pristionchus pacificus with a stage-structured population model. Taking advantage of measurements of two isogenic strains grown on two distinct diets, we illustrate how spatial and temporal heterogeneity with regard to the distribution of resources on a metapopulation can alter the outcome of the competition and alleviate the realized cost of plasticity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:15:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5139c59898894602805af228ca9df303 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1553-734X 1553-7358 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:15:00Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS Computational Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-5139c59898894602805af228ca9df3032024-02-17T05:31:18ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Computational Biology1553-734X1553-73582024-01-01201e101182310.1371/journal.pcbi.1011823Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus.Ata KaliradRalf J SommerPhenotypic plasticity, the ability of a single genotype to produce distinct phenotypes under different environmental conditions, has become a leading concept in ecology and evolutionary biology, with the most extreme examples being the formation of alternative phenotypes (polyphenisms). However, several aspects associated with phenotypic plasticity remain controversial, such as the existence of associated costs. While already predicted by some of the pioneers of plasticity research, i.e. Schmalhausen and Bradshaw, experimental and theoretical approaches have provided limited support for the costs of plasticity. In experimental studies, one common restriction is the measurement of all relevant parameters over long time periods. Similarly, theoretical studies rarely use modelling approaches that incorporate specific experimentally-derived fitness parameters. Therefore, the existence of the costs of plasticity remains disputed. Here, we provide an integrative approach to understand the cost of adaptive plasticity and its ecological ramifications, by combining laboratory data from the nematode plasticity model system Pristionchus pacificus with a stage-structured population model. Taking advantage of measurements of two isogenic strains grown on two distinct diets, we illustrate how spatial and temporal heterogeneity with regard to the distribution of resources on a metapopulation can alter the outcome of the competition and alleviate the realized cost of plasticity.https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011823&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Ata Kalirad Ralf J Sommer Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus. PLoS Computational Biology |
| title | Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus. |
| title_full | Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus. |
| title_fullStr | Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus. |
| title_short | Spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in Pristionchus pacificus. |
| title_sort | spatial and temporal heterogeneity alter the cost of plasticity in pristionchus pacificus |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011823&type=printable |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT atakalirad spatialandtemporalheterogeneityalterthecostofplasticityinpristionchuspacificus AT ralfjsommer spatialandtemporalheterogeneityalterthecostofplasticityinpristionchuspacificus |