10.5061/DRYAD.4P30K
Siljestam, Mattias
Uppsala University
Östman, Örjan
Uppsala University
Data from: The combined effects of temporal autocorrelation and the costs
of plasticity on the evolution of plasticity
Dryad
dataset
2017
Adaptation speed
cost of plasticity
reversible traits
strength of selection
Environmental Predictability
Tolerance
2017-05-08T19:23:35Z
2017-05-08T19:23:35Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13114
8400 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Adaptive phenotypic plasticity is an important source of intraspecific
variation, and for many plastic traits the costs or factors limiting
plasticity seem cryptic. However, there are several different factors that
may constrain the evolution of plasticity, but few models have considered
costs and limiting factors simultaneously. Here we use a simulation model
to investigate how the optimal level of plasticity in a population depends
on a fixed fitness cost for maintaining a potential for plasticity or an
incremental fitness cost for producing a plastic response in combination
with environmental unpredictability (environmental fluctuation speed)
limiting plasticity. Our model identifies two mechanisms that act, almost
separately, to constrain the evolution of plasticity: 1) The fitness cost
of plasticity scaled by the non-plastic environmental tolerance, and 2)
the environmental fluctuation speed scaled by the rate of phenotypic
change. That is, the evolution of plasticity is constrained by the high
cost of plasticity in combination with high tolerance for environmental
variation, or fast environmental changes in combination with slow plastic
response. Qualitatively similar results are found when fixed and
incremental fitness costs of plasticity are incorporated, although a
larger degree of plasticity is selected for with an incremental cost. Our
model highlights that it is important to consider direct fitness costs and
phenotypic limitations in relation to non-plastic environmental tolerance
and environmental fluctuations, respectively, to understand what
constrains the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.
MATLAB Code - Autocorrelation and the costs of plasticityMatlab code for
simulation and plotting selected degree of plasticity in a continuously
changing environment.Plasticity_FixedMatlab code for simulation and
plotting of selected plasticity and environmental specialisation in an
environment with fixed environmental states