Causes and consequences of predator-induced phenotypic plasticity

捕食者诱导的表型可塑性的原因和后果

• 批准号: 240595245
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Theo Bakker
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Sektion Ichthyologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2012-12-31 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/240595245?language=en
• 关键词: Causes; consequences; predator; induced; phenotypic

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a genotype to alter its trait expression in response to environmental factors. The concept of phenotypic plasticity is an integral part of evolutionary theory and numerous empirical studies showed that animals flexibly modify their phenotypes to current environmental conditions. Plastic modifications often include phenotypically different traits like behavioral, morphological or life-history traits. However, phenotypic plasticity is assumed to have costs and limitations. Little is known about whether and to which extent changes in different traits act in concert, or whether there exist trade-offs between different traits. Furthermore, although the induced phenotype is supposed to be beneficial in the inducing environment (adaptive phenotypic plasticity), it may be disadvantageous in other contexts. Moreover, little is known about the impact of phenotypic plasticity on phenotypic variation, or to what extent alarm cues induced effects are transmitted across generations. The aim of this proposal is to investigate proximate causes and consequences of alarm cue-induced antipredator plasticity in order to provide a comprehensive picture of multi-trait phenotypic plasticity including their variation among different phenotypic traits and across different contexts. The project will allow us to attain fundamental empirical knowledge about the relationships between the genotype and phenotype as well as the evolution and maintenance of phenotypic plasticity, factors that hitherto have been addressed theoretically. For this purpose, we will examine predator-induced phenotypic plasticity (triggered by conspecific alarm cues) in the monogamous cichlid Pelvicachromis taeniatus, a fish species that is well established model system in evolutionary ecology research. We will first study the underlying proximate basics of alarm-cue induced plasticity and variation in alarm cues in order to determine to what extent antipredator phenotypic plasticity is adaptive. Second, we will determine the long-term effects of alarm cue-induced phenotypic plasticity throughout natural and sexual selection processes as well as the relationships between the different phenotypic traits during this process. The experimental results will allow us to determine which traits are adaptive or nonadaptive among different contexts, and to what extent phenotypic variation is affected. Third, we will determine short-term and long-term alarm cue induced parental effects on offspring performance in different environments.

表型可塑性是基因型响应环境因素而改变其性状表达的能力。表型可塑性的概念是进化理论的一个组成部分，许多实证研究表明，动物灵活地修改其表型以适应当前的环境条件。可塑性修饰通常包括表型不同的性状，如行为、形态或生活史性状。然而，表型可塑性被认为有成本和局限性。关于不同性状的变化是否以及在多大程度上是一致的，或者不同性状之间是否存在权衡，人们知之甚少。此外，虽然诱导的表型被认为在诱导环境中是有益的（适应性表型可塑性），但在其他情况下可能是不利的。此外，很少有人知道表型可塑性对表型变异的影响，或在何种程度上报警线索诱导的影响是跨代传递。该建议的目的是调查报警提示诱导的抗捕食者可塑性的近因和后果，以提供一个全面的多性状表型可塑性，包括它们在不同的表型性状和不同的背景下的变化。该项目将使我们能够获得关于基因型和表型之间的关系以及表型可塑性的进化和维持的基本经验知识，这些因素迄今为止一直在理论上得到解决。为此，我们将研究捕食者诱导的表型可塑性（引发同种报警线索）在一夫一妻制的慈鲷Pelvicachromis taeniatus，一种鱼类，在进化生态学研究中建立的模型系统。我们将首先研究报警线索诱导的可塑性和报警线索的变化，以确定在何种程度上antipredator的表型可塑性是适应性的基本原理。第二，我们将确定报警提示诱导的表型可塑性在整个自然和性选择过程中的长期影响，以及在这个过程中不同的表型性状之间的关系。实验结果将使我们能够确定哪些性状在不同的环境中是适应性的或非适应性的，以及表型变异在多大程度上受到影响。第三，我们将确定短期和长期报警线索诱导的父母对后代的表现在不同的环境。