Summary 1 The role of phenotypic plasticity in evolution has historically been a contentious
issue because of debate over whether plasticity shields genotypes from selection or …

Phenotypic plasticity has often been assumed to buffer the effects of natural selection and
thus act as a constraint on evolutionary change. It has become increasingly clear, however …

Developmental plasticity refers to the property by which the same genotype produces
distinct phenotypes depending on the environmental conditions under which development …

Diverse subfields of biology have addressed phenotypic plasticity, but have emphasized
different aspects of the definition, thereby shaping the questions that are asked and the …

The most obvious ecological difference between animals and plants is that most animals
move through space in response to changing conditions whereas plants do not. The …

Phenotypic accommodation is adaptive adjustment, without genetic change, of variable
aspects of the phenotype following a novel input during development. Phenotypic …

It has rarely been possible to connect the developmental and evolutionary branches of
genetics, particularly with regard to the precise changes in the molecular control of …

The origin of novel complex traits constitutes a central yet largely unresolved challenge in
evolutionary biology. Intriguingly, many of the most promising breakthroughs in …

For over a century, biologists have proposed a role for phenotypic plasticity in evolution,
providing an avenue for adaptation in addition to 'mutation-first'models of evolutionary …

Many biologists are asking whether environmentally initiated phenotypic change
(ie,'phenotypic plasticity') precedes, and even facilitates, evolutionary adaptation. However …