Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects
Abstract Temperature has a profound effect on the growth and development of ectothermic animals. However, the extent to which ecologically driven selection pressures can adjust thermal plastic responses in growth schedules is not well understood. Comparing temperature‐induced plastic responses betwe...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University Press
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Evolution Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.299 |
| _version_ | 1797697136541827072 |
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| author | Tiit Teder Kristiina Taits Ants Kaasik Toomas Tammaru |
| author_facet | Tiit Teder Kristiina Taits Ants Kaasik Toomas Tammaru |
| author_sort | Tiit Teder |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Temperature has a profound effect on the growth and development of ectothermic animals. However, the extent to which ecologically driven selection pressures can adjust thermal plastic responses in growth schedules is not well understood. Comparing temperature‐induced plastic responses between sexes provides a promising but underexploited approach to evaluating the evolvability of thermal reaction norms: males and females share largely the same genes and immature environments but typically experience different ecological selection pressures. We proceed from the idea that substantial sex differences in plastic responses could be interpreted as resulting from sex‐specific life‐history optimization, whereas similarity among the sexes should rather be seen as evidence of an essential role of physiological constraints. In this study, we performed a meta‐analysis of sex‐specific thermal responses in insect development times, using data on 161 species with comprehensive phylogenetic and ecological coverage. As a reference for judging the magnitude of sex specificity in thermal plasticity, we compared the magnitude of sex differences in plastic responses to temperature with those in response to diet. We show that sex‐specific responses of development times to temperature variation are broadly similar. We also found no strong evidence for sex specificity in thermal responses to depend on the magnitude or direction of sex differences in development time. Sex differences in temperature‐induced plastic responses were systematically less pronounced than sex differences in responses induced by variations in larval diet. Our results point to the existence of substantial constraints on the evolvability of thermal reaction norms in insects as the most likely explanation. If confirmed, the low evolvability of thermal response is an essential aspect to consider in predicting evolutionary responses to climate warming. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:35:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a8c19021fa8947c694af9402ebb008dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-3744 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:35:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolution Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-a8c19021fa8947c694af9402ebb008dd2023-09-03T13:14:38ZengOxford University PressEvolution Letters2056-37442022-12-016639441110.1002/evl3.299Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insectsTiit Teder0Kristiina Taits1Ants Kaasik2Toomas Tammaru3Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu EE‐50409 EstoniaDepartment of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu EE‐50409 EstoniaDepartment of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu EE‐50409 EstoniaDepartment of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences University of Tartu Tartu EE‐50409 EstoniaAbstract Temperature has a profound effect on the growth and development of ectothermic animals. However, the extent to which ecologically driven selection pressures can adjust thermal plastic responses in growth schedules is not well understood. Comparing temperature‐induced plastic responses between sexes provides a promising but underexploited approach to evaluating the evolvability of thermal reaction norms: males and females share largely the same genes and immature environments but typically experience different ecological selection pressures. We proceed from the idea that substantial sex differences in plastic responses could be interpreted as resulting from sex‐specific life‐history optimization, whereas similarity among the sexes should rather be seen as evidence of an essential role of physiological constraints. In this study, we performed a meta‐analysis of sex‐specific thermal responses in insect development times, using data on 161 species with comprehensive phylogenetic and ecological coverage. As a reference for judging the magnitude of sex specificity in thermal plasticity, we compared the magnitude of sex differences in plastic responses to temperature with those in response to diet. We show that sex‐specific responses of development times to temperature variation are broadly similar. We also found no strong evidence for sex specificity in thermal responses to depend on the magnitude or direction of sex differences in development time. Sex differences in temperature‐induced plastic responses were systematically less pronounced than sex differences in responses induced by variations in larval diet. Our results point to the existence of substantial constraints on the evolvability of thermal reaction norms in insects as the most likely explanation. If confirmed, the low evolvability of thermal response is an essential aspect to consider in predicting evolutionary responses to climate warming.https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.299Body sizedevelopment rateevolutionary constraintgrowth ratesexual bimaturismsexual size dimorphism |
| spellingShingle | Tiit Teder Kristiina Taits Ants Kaasik Toomas Tammaru Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects Evolution Letters Body size development rate evolutionary constraint growth rate sexual bimaturism sexual size dimorphism |
| title | Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects |
| title_full | Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects |
| title_fullStr | Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects |
| title_short | Limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms: A meta‐analysis in insects |
| title_sort | limited sex differences in plastic responses suggest evolutionary conservatism of thermal reaction norms a meta analysis in insects |
| topic | Body size development rate evolutionary constraint growth rate sexual bimaturism sexual size dimorphism |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.299 |
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