Plasticity and Evolution

Organisms are inherently responsive to their environment; they can modify their morphology and physiology to fit their surroundings, or move to new locations where conditions are more favourable. How does such environmental responsiveness – plasticity – affect evolution?

To answer this question, we use a broad range of approaches and several study organisms – including Daphnia, lizards and most recently green algae in collaboration with Charlie Cornwallis. We have also developed new theory to identify when plasticity will ‘take the lead’ in adaptive evolution. Putting these and related ideas to the test will require innovative combinations of experiments and comparative analyses. If you want to join us, please get in touch.

If you want to know more:

Uller, T., Milocco, L., Isanta-Navarro, J., Cornwallis, C.K., & Feiner, N. 2024. Twenty Years of Developmental Plasticity and Evolution: On middle range theories and how to test them. Journal of Experimental Biology 227 (Suppl_1): jeb246375

Milocco, L. & Uller, T. 2024. Utilizing developmental dynamics for evolutionary prediction and control. PNAS 121:14

Pettersen, A.K., Feiner, N., Noble, D.W.A., While, G.M., Uller, T*. & Cornwallis, C.K*. 2023. Maternal behavioural thermoregulation facilitated evolutionary transitions from egg laying to live birth. Evolution Letters 2023:qrd031 *joint last author

Feiner, N., Jackson, I.S.C., Munch, K.L., Radersma, R. & Uller, T. 2020. Plasticity and evolutionary convergence in the locomotor skeleton of Greater Antillean Anolis lizards. eLife 9:e57468

Radersma, R., Noble, D.A.W. & Uller, T. 2020. Plasticity leaves a phenotypic signature during local adaptation. Evolution Letters 4:360-370

Noble, D.A.W., Radersma, R. & Uller, T. 2019. Plastic responses to novel environments are biased towards phenotype dimensions with high additive genetic variation. PNAS 116: 13452-1346