Evolving Plastic Responses to External and Genetic Environments.
Phenotypic plasticity can mitigate adaptive trade-offs in fluctuating environments but how plasticity arises is little known. New research documents this process in a bacterial system. We highlight remarkable parallels to the evolution of sexual dimorphism and argue that their approach can aid our understanding of adaptive conflicts between the sexes.
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. Electronic address: m.reuter@ucl.ac.uk.
Max
M
Reuter
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
M Florencia
MF
Camus
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Mark S
MS
Hill
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Filip
F
Ruzicka
Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Kevin
K
Fowler
D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D000066670:Cell Plasticity / Q000235:genetics*; D004777:Environment; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D010641:Phenotype; D012727:Sex Characteristics