Causes and consequences of predator-induced phenotypic plasticity

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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.