Nussey Daniel H, Postma Erik, Gienapp Phillip, Visser Marcel E
Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Post Office Box 40, 6666 ZG Heteren, Netherlands.
Science. 2005 Oct 14;310(5746):304-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1117004.
Theoretical and laboratory research suggests that phenotypic plasticity can evolve under selection. However, evidence for its evolutionary potential from the wild is lacking. We present evidence from a Dutch population of great tits (Parus major) for variation in individual plasticity in the timing of reproduction, and we show that this variation is heritable. Selection favoring highly plastic individuals has intensified over a 32-year period. This temporal trend is concurrent with climate change causing a mismatch between the breeding times of the birds and their caterpillar prey. Continued selection on plasticity can act to alleviate this mismatch.
理论和实验室研究表明，表型可塑性在选择作用下能够进化。然而，目前仍缺乏来自野外的关于其进化潜力的证据。我们展示了来自荷兰大山雀（Parus major）种群的证据，证明了繁殖时间上个体可塑性的差异，并且我们发现这种差异是可遗传的。在32年的时间里，对高可塑性个体的选择作用不断增强。这一长期趋势与气候变化同步，气候变化导致鸟类繁殖时间与其毛虫猎物之间出现了错配。对可塑性持续进行选择可以缓解这种错配。
