Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Phenotypic plasticity as a state-dependent life-history decision

  • Papers
  • Published:
Evolutionary Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

A genotype is said to show phenotypic plasticity if it can produce a range of environmentally dependent phenotypes. Plasticity may or may not be adaptive. We consider plasticity as a genetically determined trait and thus find the optimal response of an animal to its environment. Various aspects of this optimal response are illustrated with examples based on reproductive effort. We investigate the selection pressure for plastic as opposed to fixed strategies. An example with spatial heterogeneity is used to compare our approach with that of Stearns and Koella (1986).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bradshaw, A. D. (1965). Evolutionary significance of phenotypic plasticity in plants.Adv. Genet. 13, 115–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caswell, H. (1989)Matrix Population Models. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charlesworth, B. (1980)Evolution in Age-Structured Populations. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, R. A. (1958)The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection. Dover, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston, A. I. and McNamara, J. M. (1992) Phenotypic plasticity as a state-dependent life-history decision.Evol. Ecol. 6, 243–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, J. M. (1992) Optimal life histories: a generalisation of the Perron-Frobenius Theorem.Theor. Pop. Biol. 40, 230–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, J. M. and Houston, A. I. (1986) The common currency for behavioural decisions.Am. Nat. 127, 358–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mangel, M. and Clark, C. W. (1986) Towards a unified foraging theory.Ecology 67, 1127–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mangel, M. and Clark, C. W. (1988)Dynamic Modelling in Behavioural Ecology. Princeton University Press, Princeton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, T. and Liou, L. (1989) Selection on clutch size in birds.Am. Nat. 134, 950–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns, S. C. (1982) The role of development in the evolution of life-histories. InThe Role of Development in Evolutions (J. T. Bonner, ed.), Springer-Verlag, NY, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns, S. C. and Koella, J. C. (1986) The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in life-history traits: predictions of reaction norms for age and size at maturity.Evolution 40, 893–913.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuljapurkar, S. (1989) An uncertain life: demography in random environments.Theor. Pop. Biol. 35, 227–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Via, S. and Lande, R. (1985) Genotype-environment interaction and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.Evolution 39, 505–22.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NERC Unit of Behavioural Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3PS, Oxford, UK

    Alasdair I. Houston

  2. School of Mathematics, University of Bristol, University Walk, BS8 1TW, Bristol, UK

    John M. McNamara

Authors
  1. Alasdair I. Houston
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. John M. McNamara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Houston, A.I., McNamara, J.M. Phenotypic plasticity as a state-dependent life-history decision. Evol Ecol 6, 243–253 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214164

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02214164

Keywords

Search

Navigation