Drivers of population differentiation in phenotypic plasticity in a temperate conifer: A 27-year study.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic plasticity is a main mechanism for organisms to cope with changing environments and broaden their ecological range. Plasticity is genetically based and can evolve under natural selection, such that populations within a species show distinct phenotypic responses to the environment if evolved under different conditions. Understanding how intraspecific variation in phenotypic plasticity arises is critical to assess potential adaptation to ongoing climate change. Theory predicts that plasticity is favored in more favorable but variable environments. Yet, many theoretical predictions about benefits, costs, and selection on plasticity remain untested. To test these predictions, we took advantage of three genetic trials in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA, which assessed 23 closely lo

SUBMITTER: de la Mata R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9679231 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature