Phenotypic Plasticity & Evolution Causes, Consequences, Controversies

About this book

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.

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

Customer Reviews

Biography

David W. Pfennig is a professor of biology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer. He is broadly interested in evolutionary biology, ecology, behaviour, and developmental biology and is the author (with Karin Pfennig) of Evolution’s Wedge: Competition and the Origins of Diversity. His work has been featured on The National Geographic Channel, on the BBC/ PBS’s Nature series, and in The New York Times, Newsweek, National Geographic, Scientific American, New Scientist, and Discover, among other publications.