Showing papers on "Developmental plasticity published in 2018"
TL;DR: Understanding adolescence as a CP not only provides a mechanism for normative adolescent development, it provides a framework for understanding the role of experience and neurobiology in the emergence of psychopathology that occurs during this developmental period.
297 citations
TL;DR: Investigation of seasonal plasticity and adaptive potential in an Afrotropical butterfly expressing distinct phenotypes in dry and wet seasons finds lack of variation for plasticity limits evolutionary responses, potentially weakening prospects for population persistence.
Abstract: Phenotypic plasticity, the expression of multiple phenotypes from one genome, is a widespread adaptation to short-term environmental fluctuations, but whether it facilitates evolutionary adaptation to climate change remains contentious. Here, we investigate seasonal plasticity and adaptive potential in an Afrotropical butterfly expressing distinct phenotypes in dry and wet seasons. We assess the transcriptional architecture of plasticity in a full-factorial analysis of heritable and environmental effects across 72 individuals, and reveal pervasive gene expression differences between the seasonal phenotypes. Strikingly, intra-population genetic variation for plasticity is largely absent, consistent with specialisation to a particular environmental cue reliably predicting seasonal transitions. Under climate change, deteriorating accuracy of predictive cues will likely aggravate maladaptive phenotype-environment mismatches and increase selective pressures on reaction norms. However, the observed paucity of genetic variation for plasticity limits evolutionary responses, potentially weakening prospects for population persistence. Thus, seasonally plastic species may be especially vulnerable to climate change.
137 citations
TL;DR: This review explores the impact of gestational hypoxia on maternal health and fetal development, and epigenetic mechanisms of developmental plasticity with emphasis on the uteroplacental circulation, heart development, cerebral circulation, pulmonaryDevelopment, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and adipose tissue.
Abstract: Hypoxia is one of the most common and severe challenges to the maintenance of homeostasis. Oxygen sensing is a property of all tissues, and the response to hypoxia is multidimensional involving com...
124 citations
TL;DR: The 3.38-Gb genome and a consensus gene set of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, are presented and insights into its environmental adaptation and developmental plasticity are yielded.
Abstract: Many cockroach species have adapted to urban environments, and some have been serious pests of public health in the tropics and subtropics. Here, we present the 3.38-Gb genome and a consensus gene set of the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana. We report insights from both genomic and functional investigations into the underlying basis of its adaptation to urban environments and developmental plasticity. In comparison with other insects, expansions of gene families in P. americana exist for most core gene families likely associated with environmental adaptation, such as chemoreception and detoxification. Multiple pathways regulating metamorphic development are well conserved, and RNAi experiments inform on key roles of 20-hydroxyecdysone, juvenile hormone, insulin, and decapentaplegic signals in regulating plasticity. Our analyses reveal a high level of sequence identity in genes between the American cockroach and two termite species, advancing it as a valuable model to study the evolutionary relationships between cockroaches and termites.
116 citations
TL;DR: Adaptive phenotypic plasticity provides a mechanism of developmental rescue in novel and rapidly changing environments and complex interactions between plastic responses that allow survival in novel environments and subsequent evolutionary responses at the population level are expected.
Abstract: Adaptive phenotypic plasticity provides a mechanism of developmental rescue in novel and rapidly changing environments. Understanding the underlying mechanism of plasticity is important for predict...
96 citations
TL;DR: A model of plastic development is analyzed and an explicit expression for the long-term growth rate of a developmentally plastic population is found, which can be decomposed into several easily interpretable terms, representing the benefits and the limitations of phenotypic plasticity as an adaptation strategy.
Abstract: Phenotypic plasticity refers to the capacity of the same organisms to exhibit different characteristics under varied environmental conditions. A plastic developmental program allows organisms to sense environmental cues in early stages of life and express phenotypes that are better fitted to environments encountered later in life. This is often considered an adaptive strategy for living in varying environments as long as the plastic response is sufficiently fast, is accurate, and is not too costly. However, despite direct costs of maintaining plasticity and producing phenotypes, a fundamental constraint on the benefit of phenotypic plasticity comes from the predictability of the future environment based on the environmental cues received during development. Here, we analyze a model of plastic development and derive the limits within which this strategy can promote population growth. An explicit expression for the long-term growth rate of a developmentally plastic population is found, which can be decomposed into several easily interpretable terms, representing the benefits and the limitations of phenotypic plasticity as an adaptation strategy. This growth rate decomposition has a remarkably similar form to the expressions previously obtained for the bet-hedging strategy, in which a population randomly diversifies into coexisting subgroups with different phenotypes, implying that those evolutionary strategies may be unified under a common general framework.
69 citations
TL;DR: The role of spontaneous and sensory-evoked plasticity during critical periods, the assembly of axonal presynaptic sites, axonal plasticity in the mature brain under baseline and sensory manipulation conditions, and plasticity of electrogenic axonal microdomains during development and in the maturity CNS are discussed.
65 citations
TL;DR: It is proposed that the frequently abrupt environmental changes accompanying much longer-term general climate change require consideration of the true nature of environmental change coupled with an expansion of focus to consider developmental phenotypic plasticity.
Abstract: The slow, inexorable rise in annual average global temperatures and acidification of the oceans are often advanced as consequences of global change. However, many environmental changes, especially those involving weather (as opposed to climate), are often stochastic, variable and extreme, particularly in temperate terrestrial or freshwater habitats. Moreover, few studies of animal and plant phenotypic plasticity employ realistic (i.e. short-term, stochastic) environmental change in their protocols. Here, I posit that the frequently abrupt environmental changes (days, weeks, months) accompanying much longer-term general climate change (e.g. global warming over decades or centuries) require consideration of the true nature of environmental change (as opposed to statistical means) coupled with an expansion of focus to consider developmental phenotypic plasticity. Such plasticity can be in multiple forms – obligatory/facultative, beneficial/deleterious – depending upon the degree and rate of environmental variability at specific points in organismal development. Essentially, adult phenotypic plasticity, as important as it is, will be irrelevant if developing offspring lack sufficient plasticity to create modified phenotypes necessary for survival.
64 citations
TL;DR: This work systematically review research into thermal developmental plasticity across reptiles, structured around the key papers and findings that have shaped the field over the past 50 years, and introduces a large database, the 'Reptile Development Database', consisting of 9,773 trait means across 300 studies examining thermal developmental Plasticity.
Abstract: Early life environments shape phenotypic development in important ways that can lead to long-lasting effects on phenotype and fitness. In reptiles, one aspect of the early environment that impacts development is temperature (termed 'thermal developmental plasticity'). Indeed, the thermal environment during incubation is known to influence morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits, some of which have important consequences for many ecological and evolutionary processes. Despite this, few studies have attempted to synthesize and collate data from this expansive and important body of research. Here, we systematically review research into thermal developmental plasticity across reptiles, structured around the key papers and findings that have shaped the field over the past 50 years. From these papers, we introduce a large database (the 'Reptile Development Database') consisting of 9,773 trait means across 300 studies examining thermal developmental plasticity. This dataset encompasses data on a range of phenotypes, including morphological, physiological, behavioral, and performance traits along with growth rate, incubation duration, sex ratio, and survival (e.g., hatching success) across all major reptile clades. Finally, from our literature synthesis and data exploration, we identify key research themes associated with thermal developmental plasticity, important gaps in empirical research, and demonstrate how future progress can be made through targeted empirical, meta-analytic, and comparative work.
62 citations
TL;DR: This work discusses epigenetics as an adaptive mechanism of developmental plasticity and uses signaling theory to provide an evolutionary context for DOHaD phenomena within a generation and applies life‐course epidemiology conceptual models to inform study design and analytical strategies that are capable of parsing out the potential effects of process errors in the relationships among an organism's early environment, DNA methylation, and phenotype in a future environment.
Abstract: Developmental plasticity, a phenomenon of importance in both evolutionary biology and human studies of the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), enables organisms to respond to their environment based on previous experience without changes to the underlying nucleotide sequence. Although such phenotypic responses should theoretically improve an organism's fitness and performance in its future environment, this is not always the case. Herein, we first discuss epigenetics as an adaptive mechanism of developmental plasticity and use signaling theory to provide an evolutionary context for DOHaD phenomena within a generation. Next, we utilize signalling theory to identify determinants of adaptive developmental plasticity, detect sources of random variability - also known as process errors that affect maintenance of an epigenetic signal (DNA methylation) over time, and discuss implications of these errors for an organism's health and fitness. Finally, we apply life-course epidemiology conceptual models to inform study design and analytical strategies that are capable of parsing out the potential effects of process errors in the relationships among an organism's early environment, DNA methylation, and phenotype in a future environment. Ultimately, we hope to foster cross-talk and interdisciplinary collaboration between evolutionary biology and DOHaD epidemiology, which have historically remained separate despite a shared interest in developmental plasticity.
48 citations
TL;DR: This work quantified genetic variation for body size plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster by measuring thorax and abdomen length of females reared at two temperatures and used a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) approach to unravel the genetic basis of inter-genotype variation in body size Plasticity.
Abstract: Body size is a quantitative trait that is closely associated to fitness and under the control of both genetic and environmental factors. While developmental plasticity for this and other traits is heritable and under selection, little is known about the genetic basis for variation in plasticity that can provide the raw material for its evolution. We quantified genetic variation for body size plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster by measuring thorax and abdomen length of females reared at two temperatures from a panel representing naturally segregating alleles, the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). We found variation between genotypes for the levels and direction of thermal plasticity in size of both body parts. We then used a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) approach to unravel the genetic basis of inter-genotype variation in body size plasticity, and used different approaches to validate selected QTLs and to explore potential pleiotropic effects. We found mostly "private QTLs", with little overlap between the candidate loci underlying variation in plasticity for thorax versus abdomen size, for different properties of the plastic response, and for size versus size plasticity. We also found that the putative functions of plasticity QTLs were diverse and that alleles for higher plasticity were found at lower frequencies in the target population. Importantly, a number of our plasticity QTLs have been targets of selection in other populations. Our data sheds light onto the genetic basis of inter-genotype variation in size plasticity that is necessary for its evolution.
TL;DR: Further evidence consistent with the hypothesis that prenatal stress fosters, promotes, or “programs” postnatal developmental plasticity is reviewed, including new experimental research systematically manipulating both prenatal stress and postnatal rearing.
Abstract: Two sets of evidence reviewed herein, one indicating that prenatal stress is associated with elevated behavioral and physiological dysregulation and the other that such phenotypic functioning is itself associated with heightened susceptibility to positive and negative environmental influences postnatally, raises the intriguing hypothesis first advanced by Pluess and Belsky (2011) that prenatal stress fosters, promotes, or "programs" postnatal developmental plasticity. Here we review further evidence consistent with this proposition, including new experimental research systematically manipulating both prenatal stress and postnatal rearing. Collectively this work would seem to explain why prenatal stress has so consistently been linked to problematic development: stresses encountered prenatally are likely to continue postnatally, thereby adversely affecting the development of children programmed (by prenatal stress) to be especially susceptible to environmental effects. Less investigated are the potential benefits prenatal stress may promote, due to increased plasticity, when the postnatal environment proves to be favorable. Future directions of research pertaining to potential mechanisms instantiating postnatal plasticity and moderators of such prenatal-programming effects are outlined.
TL;DR: It is shown that experimental reduction of maternal care in the small carpenter bee leads to extensive changes in gene expression and splicing, minor changes in methylation, and greater offspring aggression and social avoidance.
Abstract: Developmental plasticity describes the influence of environmental factors on phenotypic variation. An important mediator of developmental plasticity in many animals is parental care. Here, we examine the consequences of maternal care on offspring after the initial mass provisioning of brood in the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata. Removal of the mother during larval development leads to increased aggression and avoidance in adulthood. This corresponds with changes in expression of over one thousand genes, alternative splicing of hundreds of genes, and significant changes to DNA methylation. We identify genes related to metabolic and neuronal functions that may influence developmental plasticity and aggression. We observe no genome-wide association between differential DNA methylation and differential gene expression or splicing, though indirect relationships may exist between these factors. Our results provide insight into the gene regulatory context of DNA methylation in insects and the molecular avenues through which variation in maternal care influences developmental plasticity.
TL;DR: This work presents the novel hypothesis that, in both sexes, higher exposure to androgens during prenatal and early postnatal life should lead to increased plasticity in traits that display greater male variability, and discusses a number of potential mechanisms that may mediate this effect.
TL;DR: It is found that physical linkage accompanies regulatory linkage between switch genes controlling plasticity in P. pacificus, and that divergence between paralogs is counteracted by gene conversion, as inferred from phylogenies and genotypes of CRISPR-Cas9-induced mutants.
TL;DR: Assessment of the extent and causes of shifts in physiological traits in a tropical lizard, the rainforest sunskink, reveals high trait lability, driven primarily by acclimation and local adaptation and suggests tropical ectotherms may be capable of rapid shifts in climate-relevant traits.
Abstract: The impact of climate change may be felt most keenly by tropical ectotherms. In these taxa, it is argued, thermal specialization means a given shift in temperature will have a larger effect on fitness. For species with limited dispersal ability, the impact of climate change depends on the capacity for their climate-relevant traits to shift. Such shifts can occur through genetic adaptation, various forms of plasticity, or a combination of these processes. Here we assess the extent and causes of shifts in 7 physiological traits in a tropical lizard, the rainforest sunskink (Lampropholis coggeri). Two populations were sampled that differ from each other in both climate and physiological traits. We compared trait values in each animal soon after field collection versus following acclimation to laboratory conditions. We also compared trait values between populations in: (i) recently field-collected animals; (ii) the same animals following laboratory acclimation; and (iii) the laboratory-reared offspring of these animals. Our results reveal high trait lability, driven primarily by acclimation and local adaptation. By contrast, developmental plasticity, resulting from incubation temperature, had little to no effect on most traits. These results suggest that, while specialized, tropical ectotherms may be capable of rapid shifts in climate-relevant traits.
TL;DR: There are at least two components in the evolution of cavefish olfactory skills: one part of eye-dependent developmental phenotypic plasticity, which does not depend on the size of the olf factory organ, and one part on the developmental evolution of the OE, which may stem from embryonic specification of Olfactory neurons progenitor pools.
TL;DR: It is found that warm adapted populations were less sensitive to temperature variation indicating a reduced capacity for developmental plasticity and therefore, those species may be more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
TL;DR: This review summarizes several human and animal studies examining sex-specific responses to environmental stressors during both the periconception period and placental development (caused by both sex chromosomes and hormones) to define diagnostic markers and prevention/intervention protocols.
Abstract: Developmental plasticity enables the appearance of long-term effects in offspring caused by exposure to environmental stressors during embryonic and foetal life. These long-term effects can be traced to pre- and post-implantation development, and in both cases, the effects are usually sex specific. During preimplantation development, male and female embryos exhibit an extensive transcriptional dimorphism mainly driven by incomplete X chromosome inactivation. These early developmental stages are crucial for the establishment of epigenetic marks that will be conserved throughout development, making it a particularly susceptible period for the appearance of long-term epigenetic-based phenotypes. Later in development, gonadal formation generates hormonal differences between the sexes, and male and female placentae exhibit different responses to environmental stressors. The maternal environment, including hormones and environmental insults during pregnancy, contributes to sex-specific placental development that controls genetic and epigenetic programming during foetal development, regulating sex-specific differences, including sex-specific epigenetic responses to environmental hazards, leading to long-term effects. This review summarizes several human and animal studies examining sex-specific responses to environmental stressors during both the periconception period (caused by differences in sex chromosome dosage) and placental development (caused by both sex chromosomes and hormones). The identification of relevant sex-dependent trajectories caused by sex chromosomes and/or sex hormones is essential to define diagnostic markers and prevention/intervention protocols.
TL;DR: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract: 1 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– © 2018 The Authors. Oikos © 2018 Nordic Society Oikos This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Subject Editor: Morgan Kelly Editor-in-Chief: Dries Bonte Accepted 12 March 2018 00: 1–11, 2018 doi: 10.1111/oik.05215 doi: 10.1111/oik.05215 00 1–11
TL;DR: Recent studies indicate evolutionarily conserved roles for FoxO proteins in establishing the capacity for cell-fate, morphological, and synaptic plasticity in neurons.
TL;DR: It is proposed that the reciprocal interaction between cell death and maladaptive plasticity represents the main pathogenetic mechanism of the alcohol-induced damage to the developing brain.
Abstract: The consequences of alcohol drinking during pregnancy are dramatic and usually referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). This condition is one of the main causes of intellectual disability in Western countries. The immature fetal brain exposed to ethanol undergoes massive neuron death. However, the same mechanisms leading to cell death can also be responsible for changes of developmental plasticity. As a consequence of such a maladaptive plasticity, the functional damage to central nervous system structures is amplified and leads to permanent sequelae. Here we review the literature dealing with experimental FASD, focusing on the alterations of the cerebral cortex. We propose that the reciprocal interaction between cell death and maladaptive plasticity represents the main pathogenetic mechanism of the alcohol-induced damage to the developing brain.
TL;DR: Conceptual issues regarding the ecology and evolution of plasticity are discussed to provide justification for long-term studies necessary to measure adult phenotypes, and it is illustrated that terminating studies during early-life stages can lead to incomplete or even misleading interpretations.
Abstract: Studies of reptiles have contributed greatly to understanding the impacts of developmental environments on offspring phenotypes. A major challenge for these studies, however, is quantifying the effects of embryonic environments on adult phenotypes and reproductive success. Such measurements may be necessary to gain full insight into the evolution of plasticity, as well as the long-term consequences of plasticity under environmental change. Unfortunately, most studies of reptile developmental plasticity only measure phenotypic traits of offspring at hatching, and rarely evaluate effects on subsequent adult phenotypes. This lack of information highlights a major gap in this active field. In this review, we first discuss conceptual issues regarding the ecology and evolution of plasticity to provide justification for long-term studies necessary to measure adult phenotypes. Second, we review case studies of reptiles that assessed the effects of developmental environments on adult phenotypes and/or reproduction, and we highlight the valuable insights that they provide. Importantly, we illustrate that terminating studies during early-life stages can lead to incomplete or even misleading interpretations. Third, we discuss the pros and cons of different experimental approaches for quantifying long-term effects of developmental environments. Overall, devoted long-term studies on taxa with diverse ecologies and life histories will provide major advances in the field of developmental plasticity.
TL;DR: A meta-analysis of transcriptional and translational changes during altered whisker use is performed to nominate the major molecular correlates of experience-dependent map plasticity in the barrel cortex and proposes a gene regulatory network that could couple activity dependent changes in neurons to adaptive changes in neurovasculature.
TL;DR: It is reported that the lineage-specific sulfotransferase SEUD-1, which responds to environmental cues, dosage-dependently regulates polyphenism of mouthparts in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus.
Abstract: Polyphenism, the extreme form of developmental plasticity, is the ability of a genotype to produce discrete morphologies matched to alternative environments. Because polyphenism is likely to be under switch-like molecular control, a comparative genetic approach could reveal the molecular targets of plasticity evolution. Here we report that the lineage-specific sulfotransferase SEUD-1, which responds to environmental cues, dosage-dependently regulates polyphenism of mouthparts in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus. SEUD-1 is expressed in cells producing dimorphic morphologies, thereby integrating an intercellular signalling mechanism at its ultimate target. Additionally, multiple alterations of seud-1 support it as a potential target for plasticity evolution. First, a recent duplication of seud-1 in a sister species reveals a direct correlation between genomic dosage and polyphenism threshold. Second, inbreeding to produce divergent polyphenism thresholds resulted in changes in transcriptional dosage of seud-1. Our study thus offers a genetic explanation for how plastic responses evolve.
TL;DR: The field's history is reviewed, research on reptiles has provided many insights into this field, and the special issue on developmental plasticity is introduced.
Abstract: Scientific interest in developmental plasticity spans many disciplines, and research on reptiles has provided many insights into this field. We highlight these contributions, review the field's history, and introduce the special issue on this topic .
TL;DR: It is suggested that colder temperatures experienced late in the season can induce developmental plasticity for a phenotype that improves thermoregulation in this species.
Abstract: Traits that promote the maintenance of body temperatures within an optimal range provide advantages to ectothermic species. Pigmentation plasticity is found in many insects and enhances thermoregulatory potential as increased melanization can result in greater heat retention. The thermal melanism hypothesis predicts that species with developmental plasticity will have darker pigmentation in colder environments, which can be an important adaptation for temperate species experiencing seasonal variation in climate. The harlequin bug (Murgantia histrionica, Hemiptera: Pentatomidae, Hahn 1834) is a widespread invasive crop pest with variable patterning where developmental plasticity in melanization could affect performance. To investigate the impact of temperature and photoperiod on melanization and size, nymphs were reared under two temperatures and two photoperiods simulating summer and fall seasons. The size and degree of melanization of adults were quantified using digital imagery. To assess the effect of coloration on the amount of heat absorption, we monitored the temperature of adults in a heating experiment. Overall, our results supported the thermal melanism hypothesis and temperature had a comparatively larger effect on coloration and size than photoperiod. When heated, the body temperature of individuals with darker pigmentation increased more relative to the ambient air temperature than individuals with lighter pigmentation. These results suggest that colder temperatures experienced late in the season can induce developmental plasticity for a phenotype that improves thermoregulation in this species. Our work highlights environmental signals and consequences for individual performance due to thermal melanism in a common invasive species, where capacity to respond to changing environments is likely contributing to its spread.
TL;DR: The epigenetics of orthopteroid insects are reviewed, focussing on recent research on locusts and termites, two groups which display high levels of phenotypic plasticity, and for which genome sequences have become available in recent years.
Abstract: Developmental plasticity is a key driver of the extraordinary ecological success of insects. Epigenetic mechanisms provide an important link between the external stimuli that initiate polyphenisms, and the stable changes in gene expression that govern alternative insect morphs. We review the epigenetics of orthopteroid insects, focussing on recent research on locusts and termites, two groups which display high levels of phenotypic plasticity, and for which genome sequences have become available in recent years. We examine research on the potential role of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs in the regulation of gene expression in these insects. DNA methylation patterns in orthopteroids share a number of characteristics with those of hymenopteran insects, although methylation levels are much higher, and extend to introns and repeat elements. Future examinations of epigenetic mechanisms in these insects will benefit from comparison of tissues from aged-matched individuals from alternative morphs, and adequate biological replication.
TL;DR: New insights are discussed into the nature of thalamic visual processing, focusing on the unexpected degree and plasticity of functional binocular convergence in mouse dLGN.
TL;DR: Differential gene expression in response to developmental temperature in the muscle transcriptome of adult threespine stickleback is identified, demonstrating similarities between the persistent effects of developmental plasticity on gene expression and the effects of adult thermal acclimation.
Abstract: Phenotypic plasticity occurs at a variety of timescales, but little is known about the degree to which plastic responses at different timescales are associated with similar underlying molecular processes, which is critical for assessing the effects of plasticity on evolutionary trajectories. To address this issue, we identified differential gene expression in response to developmental temperature in the muscle transcriptome of adult threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) exposed to 12, 18 and 24°C until hatch and then held at 18°C for 9 months and compared these results to differential gene expression in response to adult thermal acclimation in stickleback developed at 18°C and then acclimated to 5 and 25°C as adults. Adult thermal acclimation affected the expression of 7,940 and 7,015 genes in response to cold and warm acclimation, respectively, and 4,851 of these genes responded in both treatments. In contrast, the expression of only 33 and 29 genes was affected by cold and warm development, respectively. The majority of the genes affected by developmental temperature were also affected by adult acclimation temperature. Many genes that were differentially expressed as a result of adult acclimation were associated with previously identified temperature-dependent effects on DNA methylation patterns, suggesting a role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating gene expression plasticity during acclimation. Taken together, these results demonstrate similarities between the persistent effects of developmental plasticity on gene expression and the effects of adult thermal acclimation, emphasizing the potential for mechanistic links between plasticity acting at these different life stages.