Phenotypic Plasticity & Evolution - Causes, Consequences, Controversies

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

List of contents

Foreword: A Perspective on Plasticity
Preface and Acknowledgements
Section I Plasticity & Evolution: Concepts & Questions
Phenotypic Plasticity as an Intrinsic Property of Organisms"There is Hardly Any Question in Biology of More Importance"––Charles Darwin and the Nature of Variation
Key Questions about Phenotypic Plasticity
Section II Causes of Plasticity: From Genes to Ecology
Genetic Variation in Phenotypic Plasticity
Physiological Mechanisms and the Evolution of Plasticity
Ecology and the Evolution of Plasticity
The Loss of Phenotypic Plasticity via Natural Selection: Genetic Assimilation
Section III Consequences of Plasticity: Adaptation, Origination, Diversification
Buying Time: Plasticity and Population Persistence
Innovation and Diversification via Plasticity-led Evolution
Plasticity and Evolutionary Transitions in Individuality
Phenotypic Plasticity in the Fossil Record
Section IV Plasticity & Evolution: Controversies & Consensus
The Special Case of Behavioral Plasticity?
Plasticity Across Generations
How Does Phenotypic Plasticity Fit into Evolutionary Theory?
Plasticity and Evolutionary Theory: Where We Are and Where We Should be Going
List of Contributors
Index

About the author

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, behavior, and developmental biology and is 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.

Summary

Phenotypic plasticity – the ability of an individual organism to alter its features in direct response to a change in its environment – is ubiquitous. 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.

Additional text

"Anyone interested in the nature of living organisms and their adaptive evolution will be stimulated by reading this book."–– Mary Jane West-Eberhard (Foreword)

"This authoritative compilation brings together top thinkers on phenotypic plasticity and synthesizes the many ways that it profoundly influences evolution. Plasticity has been too often dismissed as mere 'environmental　noise,' but these chapters bring rich and diverse perspectives to one volume and explain how plasticity arises and how understanding plasticity is fundamental to understanding evolutionary patterns and processes."–– Mohamed Noor, Duke University

"This book is ‘must-read’ for anyone　interested in phenotypic plasticity. The editor and authors have done an　excellent job as the treatment is bang up to date with a fully　comprehensive　coverage. In this era of major challenges from climate change, an understanding　of the evolution and ecology of phenotypic plasticity has become ever more　pressing and highly relevant to whether species will be able to cope with its　consequences. The most valuable and attractive features of the book include an　exceptionally　thorough assessment of controversial ideas involving the genetics　and evolution of plasticity and sections in each chapter entitled ‘suggestions　for future research’."––　Paul Brakefield FRS,　University of Cambridge, UK

"This is a much needed book. This volume makes clear that nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of selectable variation, and that this variation arises through the alliances woven　between genomic and environmental agents during development. This should be mandatory reading for anyone concerned with mechanisms of evolution."

–– Scott F. Gilbert, Swarthmore College

"Bringing together leading theoretical and empirical scientists, this volume provides a comprehensive treatment of the mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity and how this knowledge illuminates our understanding of　evolution. Among other triumphs, it fulfills the promise of genomics as an engine of discovery for mechanistic biology, evolutionary biology, and their integration. A most worthy successor to West-Eberhard’s　Developmental Plasticity and Evolution."　–– Gene E. Robinson, Department of Entomology and Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Product details

• Authors: David W. (University of North Carolina) Pfennig
• Assisted by: David W Pfennig (Editor), David W. Pfennig (Editor)
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2021
• EAN: 9780367357047
• ISBN: 978-0-367-35704-7
• No. of pages: 404
• Series: Evolutionary Cell Biology
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > General, dictionaries