ena-STUDY-VETMEDUNI_POPGEN-28-10-2020-18:56:04:680-359
The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to temperature stress
The role of phenotypic plasticity during adaptation to novel environments is actively discussed in the scientific community. We addressed the question of the evolution of plasticity during adaptation to a novel temperature regime using the powerful experimental Drosophila system in a controlled laboratory environment. Building on robust statistical analyses with replicated populations, which evolved for up to 64 generations, we demonstrate that phenotypic plasticity rapidly changes in evolving Drosophila populations. With evolution enhancing the plasticity of the ancestral natural population, we suggest that natural variation for gene expression plasticity has been driven by selection.
The role of phenotypic plasticity during adaptation to novel environments is actively discussed in the scientific community. We addressed the question of the evolution of plasticity during adaptation to a novel temperature regime using the powerful experimental Drosophila system in a controlled laboratory environment. Building on robust statistical analyses with replicated populations, which evolved for up to 64 generations, we demonstrate that phenotypic plasticity rapidly changes in evolving Drosophila populations. With evolution enhancing the plasticity of the ancestral natural population, we suggest that natural variation for gene expression plasticity has been driven by selection.