Description
Phenotypic plasticity – the ability of an individual organism to alter its features in direct response to a change in its environment – is ubiquitous. Understanding how and why this phenomenon exists is crucial because it unites all levels of biological inquiry. This book brings together researchers who approach plasticity from diverse perspectives to explore new ideas and recent findings about the causes and consequences of plasticity. Contributors also discuss such controversial topics as how plasticity shapes ecological and evolutionary processes; whether specific plastic responses can be passed to offspring; and whether plasticity has left an important imprint on the history of life. Importantly, each chapter highlights key questions for future research. Drawing on numerous studies of plasticity in natural populations of plants and animals, this book aims to foster greater appreciation for this important, but frequently misunderstood phenomenon.
Key Features
- Written in an accessible style with numerous illustrations, including many in color
- Reviews the history of the study of plasticity, including Darwin’s views
- Most chapters conclude with recommendations for future research
Table of Contents
Foreword: A Perspective on Plasticity
Mary Jane West-Eberhard
Preface and Acknowledgements
David W. Pfennig
Section I Plasticity & Evolution: Concepts & Questions
Phenotypic Plasticity as an Intrinsic Property of Organisms
Sonia E. Sultan
"There is Hardly Any Question in Biology of More Importance"––Charles Darwin and the Nature of Variation
James T. Costa
Key Questions about Phenotypic Plasticity
David W. Pfennig
Section II Causes of Plasticity: From Genes to Ecology
Genetic Variation in Phenotypic Plasticity
Ilan Goldstein & Ian M. Ehrenreich
Physiological Mechanisms and the Evolution of Plasticity
Cristina C. Ledon-Rettig & Erik J. Ragsdale
Ecology and the Evolution of Plasticity
Emilie Snell-Rood & Sean Ehlman
The Loss of Phenotypic Plasticity via Natural Selection: Genetic Assimilation
Samuel M. Scheiner & Nicholas A. Levis
Section III Consequences of Plasticity: Adaptation, Origination, Diversification
Buying Time: Plasticity and Population Persistence
Sarah E. Diamond & Ryan A. Martin
Innovation and Diversification via Plasticity-led Evolution
Nicholas A. Levis & David W. Pfennig
Plasticity and Evolutionary Transitions in Individuality
Dinah R. Davison & Richard E. Michod
Phenotypic Plasticity in the Fossil Record
Adrian M. Lister
Section IV Plasticity & Evolution: Controversies & Consensus
The Special Case of Behavioral Plasticity?
Kathryn Chenard & Renee A. Duckworth
Plasticity Across Generations
Russell Bonduriansky
How Does Phenotypic Plasticity Fit into Evolutionary Theory?
Douglas J. Futuyma
Plasticity and Evolutionary Theory: Where We Are and Where We Should be Going
Carl D. Schlichting
List of Contributors
Index
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