Range expansion can promote the evolution of plastic generalism in coarse-grained landscapes
Range expansion can promote the evolution of plastic generalism in coarse-grained landscapes
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DOI：
10.1093/evlett/qrad062
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发表时间：
2023-12-14
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Draghi，Jeremy A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Miller，Caitlin M.;Draghi，Jeremy A.
表型可塑性是生物体通过普遍性来应对多变环境的一种方式。然而，可塑性并不是普遍存在的，它的进化可能受到成本和其他限制（如复杂性）的限制：在适应实现之前需要多个突变步骤。理论预测，更大的经历异质性，如生物可能遇到的空间异质性相对于分散是细粒度的，应该有利于更广泛的生态位的进化。在这里，我们通过模拟测试了这一预测。我们发现，与经典预测相反，粗粒度景观可能最有利于可塑性的进化，但只有当种群通过范围扩张遇到这些景观时。在这些范围扩展期间，粗粒度的景观通过阻止专家的扩散，选择了复杂突变途径中通向塑性通用性的每一步。这些环境为改变生态位的创新突变提供了生态机会。我们的研究结果揭示了一种新的机制，即范围扩展和空间结构景观相互作用来塑造进化，并揭示了复杂适应具有最高适应度的环境可能不是最有利于其进化的环境。
Phenotypic plasticity is one way for organisms to deal with variable environments through generalism. However, plasticity is not found universally and its evolution may be constrained by costs and other limitations such as complexity: the need for multiple mutational steps before the adaptation is realized. Theory predicts that greater experienced heterogeneity, such as organisms may encounter when spatial heterogeneity is fine-grained relative to dispersal, should favor the evolution of a broader niche. Here we tested this prediction via simulation. We found that, contrary to classical predictions, coarse-grained landscapes can be the most favorable for the evolution of plasticity, but only when populations encounter those landscapes through range expansion. During these range expansions, coarse-grained landscapes select for each step in the complex mutational pathway to plastic generalism by blocking the dispersal of specialists. These circumstances provide ecological opportunities for innovative mutations that change the niche. Our results indicate a new mechanism by which range expansion and spatially structured landscapes interact to shape evolution and reveal that the environments in which a complex adaptation has the highest fitness may not be the most favorable for its evolution.