Phenotypic plasticity in response to climate change: the importance of cue variation.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic plasticity is a major mechanism of response to global change. However, current plastic responses will only remain adaptive under future conditions if informative environmental cues are still available. We briefly summarize current knowledge of the evolutionary origin and mechanistic underpinnings of environmental cues for phenotypic plasticity, before highlighting the potentially complex effects of global change on cue availability and reliability. We then illustrate some of these aspects with a case study, comparing plasticity of blue tit breeding phenology in two contrasted habitats: evergreen and deciduous forests. Using long-term datasets, we investigate the climatic factors linked to the breeding phenology of the birds and their main food source. Blue tits occupying differe

SUBMITTER: Bonamour S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6365871 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature