Assessment and the regulation of adaptive phenotypic plasticity.

Organisms can react to environmental variation by altering their phenotype, and such phenotypic plasticity is often adaptive. This plasticity contributes to the diversity of phenotypes across the tree of life. Generally, the production of these phenotypes must be preceded by assessment, where the individual acquires information about its environment and phenotype relative to that environment, and then determines if and how to respond with an alternative phenotype.

Evolution of transmissible cancers: An adaptive, plastic strategy of selfish genetic elements?

A growing number of studies have applied evolutionary and ecological principles to understanding cancer. However, few such studies have examined whether phenotypic plasticity--the ability of a single individual or genome to respond differently to different environmental circumstances--can impact the origin and spread of cancer. Here, we propose the adaptive horizontal transmission hypothesis to explain how flexible decision-making by selfish genetic elements can cause them to spread from the genome of their original host into the genomes of other hosts through the evolution of transmissible cancers.

The Amphibian Genomics Consortium: advancing genomic and genetic resources for amphibian research and conservation.

Amphibians represent a diverse group of tetrapods, marked by deep divergence times between their three systematic orders and families. Studying amphibian biology through the genomics lens increases our understanding of the features of this animal class and that of other terrestrial vertebrates. The need for amphibian genomic resources is more urgent than ever due to the increasing threats to this group.

Genetic Variants Underlying Plasticity in Natural Populations of Spadefoot Toads: Environmental Assessment versus Phenotypic Response.

Many organisms facultatively produce different phenotypes depending on their environment, yet relatively little is known about the genetic bases of such plasticity in natural populations. In this study, we describe the genetic variation underlying an extreme form of plasticity--resource polyphenism--in Mexican spadefoot toad tadpoles, . Depending on their environment, these tadpoles develop into one of two drastically different forms: a carnivore morph or an omnivore morph.

Comparative transcriptomics reveals that a novel form of phenotypic plasticity evolved via lineage-specific changes in gene expression.

Novel forms of phenotypic plasticity may evolve by lineage-specific changes or by co-opting mechanisms from more general forms of plasticity. Here, we evaluated whether a novel resource polyphenism in New World spadefoot toads (genus ) evolved by co-opting mechanisms from an ancestral form of plasticity common in anurans-accelerating larval development rate in response to pond drying. We compared overlap in differentially expressed genes between alternative trophic morphs constituting the polyphenism in versus those found between tadpoles of Old World spadefoot toads (genus ) when experiencing different pond-drying regimes.

Frog hatchlings use early environmental cues to produce an anticipatory resource-use phenotype.

Developmental plasticity can occur at any life stage, but plasticity that acts early in development may give individuals a competitive edge later in life. Here, we asked if early (pre-feeding) exposure to a nutrient-rich resource impacts hatchling morphology in Mexican spadefoot toad tadpoles, . A distinctive carnivore morph can be induced when tadpoles eat live fairy shrimp.

Disentangling the developmental origins of a novel phenotype: enhancement versus reversal of environmentally induced gene expression.

Increasing evidence suggests that many novel traits might have originated via plasticity-led evolution (PLE). Yet, little is known of the developmental processes that underpin PLE, especially in its early stages. One such process is 'phenotypic accommodation', which occurs when, in response to a change in the environment, an organism experiences adjustments across variable parts of its phenotype that improve its fitness.

Transcriptomic bases of a polyphenism.

Polyphenism-in which multiple distinct phenotypes are produced from a single genotype owing to differing environmental conditions-is commonplace, but its molecular bases are poorly understood. Here, we examine the transcriptomic bases of a polyphenism in Mexican spadefoot toads (Spea multiplicata). Depending on their environment, their tadpoles develop into either a default "omnivore" morph or a novel "carnivore" morph.

Adaptive Plasticity as a Fitness Benefit of Mate Choice.

Phenotypic plasticity and sexual selection can each promote adaptation in variable environments, but their combined influence on adaptive evolution is not well understood. We propose that sexual selection can facilitate adaptation in variable environments when individuals prefer mates that produce adaptively plastic offspring. We develop this hypothesis and review existing studies showing that diverse groups display both sexual selection and plasticity in nonsexual traits.

Evolutionary rescue via transgenerational plasticity: Evidence and implications for conservation.

When a population experiences severe stress from a changing environment, evolution by natural selection can prevent its extinction, a process dubbed "evolutionary rescue." However, evolution may be unable to track the sort of rapid environmental change being experienced by many modern-day populations. A potential solution is for organisms to respond to environmental change through phenotypic plasticity, which can buffer populations against change and thereby buy time for evolutionary rescue.

Character displacement.

David and Karin Pfennig introduce character displacement, the divergent evolution of traits in overlapping species.

Identification of candidate loci for adaptive phenotypic plasticity in natural populations of spadefoot toads.

Phenotypic plasticity allows organisms to alter their phenotype in direct response to changes in the environment. Despite growing recognition of plasticity's role in ecology and evolution, few studies have probed plasticity's molecular bases-especially using natural populations. We investigated the genetic basis of phenotypic plasticity in natural populations of spadefoot toads ().

Evolution: Ancestral Plasticity Promoted Extreme Temperature Adaptation in Thermophilic Bacteria.

Explaining the origins of adaptive features is a perennial challenge in evolutionary biology. A study on thermophilic cyanobacteria reveals how environmentally induced phenotypic change (plasticity) can pave the way for evolutionary innovation and subsequent adaptation to extreme conditions.

Genome of , a Rapidly Developing, Phenotypically Plastic, and Desert-Adapted Spadefoot Toad.

Frogs and toads (anurans) are widely used to study many biological processes. Yet, few anuran genomes have been sequenced, limiting research on these organisms. Here, we produce a draft genome for the Mexican spadefoot toad, , which is a member of an unsequenced anuran clade.

Multiple models generate a geographical mosaic of resemblance in a Batesian mimicry complex.

Batesian mimics-benign species that receive protection from predation by resembling a dangerous species-often occur with multiple model species. Here, we examine whether geographical variation in the number of local models generates geographical variation in mimic-model resemblance. In areas with multiple models, selection might be relaxed or even favour imprecise mimicry relative to areas with only one model.

Plasticity-led evolution: A survey of developmental mechanisms and empirical tests.

Recent years have witnessed increased interest in evaluating whether phenotypic plasticity can precede, facilitate, and possibly even bias adaptive evolution. Despite accumulating evidence for "plasticity-led evolution" (i.e.

How stabilizing selection and nongenetic inheritance combine to shape the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.

Relatively little is known about whether and how nongenetic inheritance interacts with selection to impact the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Here, we empirically evaluated how stabilizing selection and a common form of nongenetic inheritance-maternal environmental effects-jointly influence the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in natural populations of spadefoot toads. We compared populations that previous fieldwork has shown to have evolved conspicuous plasticity in resource-use phenotypes ("resource polyphenism") with those that, owing to stabilizing selection favouring a narrower range of such phenotypes, appear to have lost this plasticity.

Male sexual signal predicts phenotypic plasticity in offspring: implications for the evolution of plasticity and local adaptation.

In a rapidly changing world, understanding the processes that influence a population's ability to respond to natural selection is critical for identifying how to preserve biodiversity. Two such processes are phenotypic plasticity and sexual selection. Whereas plasticity can facilitate local adaptation, sexual selection potentially impedes local adaptation, especially in rapidly changing or variable environments.

Plasticity-led evolution: evaluating the key prediction of frequency-dependent adaptation.

Plasticity-led evolution occurs when a change in the environment triggers a change in phenotype via phenotypic plasticity, and this pre-existing plasticity is subsequently refined by selection into an adaptive phenotype. A critical, but largely untested prediction of plasticity-led evolution (and evolution by natural selection generally) is that the rate and magnitude of evolutionary change should be positively associated with a phenotype's frequency of expression in a population. Essentially, the more often a phenotype is expressed and exposed to selection, the greater its opportunity for adaptive refinement.

Evaluating the utility of camera traps in field studies of predation.

Artificial prey techniques-wherein synthetic replicas of real organisms are placed in natural habitats-are widely used to study predation in the field. We investigated the extent to which videography could provide additional information to such studies. As a part of studies on aposematism and mimicry of coral snakes () and their mimics, observational data from 109 artificial snake prey were collected from video-recording camera traps in three locations in the Americas ( forest, Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador; premontane wet forest, Nahá Reserve, Mexico; longleaf pine forest, Southeastern Coastal Plain, North Carolina, USA).

Morphological novelty emerges from pre-existing phenotypic plasticity.

Plasticity-first evolution (PFE) posits that novel features arise when selection refines pre-existing phenotypic plasticity into an adaptive phenotype. However, PFE is controversial because few tests have been conducted in natural populations. Here we present evidence that PFE fostered the origin of an evolutionary novelty that allowed certain amphibians to invade a new niche-a distinctive carnivore morph.

Phenotypic plasticity, canalization, and the origins of novelty: Evidence and mechanisms from amphibians.

A growing number of biologists have begun asking whether environmentally induced phenotypic change--'phenotypic plasticity'--precedes and facilitates the origin and canalization of novel, complex phenotypes. However, such 'plasticity-first evolution' (PFE) remains controversial. Here, we summarize the PFE hypothesis and describe how it can be evaluated in natural systems.

Intraspecific adaptive radiation: Competition, ecological opportunity, and phenotypic diversification within species.

Intraspecific variation in resource-use traits can have profound ecological and evolutionary implications. Among the most striking examples are resource polymorphisms, where alternative morphs that utilize different resources evolve within a population. An underappreciated aspect of their evolution is that the same conditions that favor resource polymorphism-competition and ecological opportunity-might foster additional rounds of diversification within already existing morphs.

The emergence of performance trade-offs during local adaptation: insights from experimental evolution.

Environmental heterogeneity is considered a general explanation for phenotypic diversification, particularly when heterogeneity causes populations to diverge via local adaptation. Performance trade-offs, such as those stemming from antagonistic pleiotropy, are thought to contribute to the maintenance of diversity in this scenario. Specifically, alleles that promote adaptation in one environment are expected to promote maladaptation in alternative environments.