Blog Post Module 9

Option 2: This is a huge question to begin to consider. I'm definitely not sure of the answer but I will give it my best shot. An example where phenotypic plasticity could slow down evolutionary change could be the hares that are white in the winter and brown in the warmer months. These animals' ability to change their phenotype kind of cheats the system of selection in a way. Instead of either adapting to blend in or sticking out and therefore not surviving attacks from predators, they just shift back and forth between what is favorable without any hereditary aspect. Here, they don't have to evolve so the trait is stagnant. The ability to change might be passed on but the fur being brown or white is not adaptive. 

An example where phenotypic plasticity could actually potentiate evolutionary change is developmental plasticity. Different offspring could be exposed to different cues at different times, therefore changes the course/speed of their development. This variation in attributes lays the scene for adaptation and evolution to occur. For instance, a baby fish that is exposed to predatory signals/cues early on might develop defensive anatomy like head horns or spikes while another baby from that same family may not be exposed to those cues and therefore does not develop at that time. The one that developed early may go on to be more predatory and pass on characteristics that make their offspring different than the offspring of their non-defensive sibling. The more predatory side might even evolve to eat other kinds of fishes where maybe originally that species was vegetarian all because the developmental course was altered. There are many factors that could lead to phenotypic plasticity being displayed and that leaves lots of room for branching and changing of a species over time. 

Comments

  1. Casey WorleyOctober 25, 2021 at 5:45 PM

    Emily,
    Thank you for elaborating how phenotypic plasticity can be a mechanism to slow evolution. I was having trouble with the concept before, but your example with the hares really cleared things up for me! Learning about how the guppies can change their phenotype in response to predators in the R exercise this week was very interesting and made me wonder what other organisms have the ability to do something similar!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Haley BurnsOctober 26, 2021 at 10:02 AM

    Thank you for using simple examples to explain your meaning! Phenotypic plasticity is a difficult concept to grasp and you've helped me greatly! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Evolution: Haley JonesOctober 26, 2021 at 10:07 AM

    Hi Emily,
    I also looked at the ability of plasticity to hide a certain phenotype from selection which would then slow the evolution because they are able to evade those selection forces. I like how you looked at the way that exposure to different factors at different ages can influence their ability to develop plasticity which I had not thought about before.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Luke EvansDecember 16, 2021 at 10:03 PM

    Hi, Emily. I, too, decided to talk about the effects phenotypic plasticity has on evolution. I thought our discussions shared many commonalities. Good job!

    ReplyDelete

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