Max-Planck-Institute for Developmental Biology, Department for Evolutionary Biology, Spemannstrasse 37, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Curr Biol. 2011 Sep 27;21(18):R758-66. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.06.034.
Phenotypic plasticity refers to the ability of an organism to adopt different phenotypes depending on environmental conditions. In animals and plants, the progression of juvenile development and the formation of dormant stages are often associated with phenotypic plasticity, indicating the importance of phenotypic plasticity for life-history theory. Phenotypic plasticity has long been emphasized as a crucial principle in ecology and as facilitator of phenotypic evolution. In nematodes, several examples of phenotypic plasticity have been studied at the genetic and developmental level. In addition, the influence of different environmental factors has been investigated under laboratory conditions. These studies have provided detailed insight into the molecular basis of phenotypic plasticity and its ecological and evolutionary implications. Here, we review recent studies on the formation of dauer larvae in Caenorhabditis elegans, the evolution of nematode parasitism and the generation of a novel feeding trait in Pristionchus pacificus. These examples reveal a conserved and co-opted role of an endocrine signaling module involving the steroid hormone dafachronic acid. We will discuss how hormone signaling might facilitate life-history and morphological evolution.
表型可塑性是指生物体根据环境条件采用不同表型的能力。在动物和植物中，幼体发育的进展和休眠阶段的形成通常与表型可塑性有关，这表明表型可塑性对于生活史理论很重要。表型可塑性长期以来一直被强调为生态学中的一个关键原则，也是表型进化的促进因素。在线虫中，已经在遗传和发育水平上研究了几个表型可塑性的例子。此外，还在实验室条件下研究了不同环境因素的影响。这些研究提供了对线虫表型可塑性的分子基础及其生态和进化意义的详细了解。在这里，我们回顾了最近关于秀丽隐杆线虫 dauer 幼虫形成、线虫寄生进化以及太平洋秀丽杆线虫新摄食特性产生的研究。这些例子揭示了涉及类固醇激素 dauer 酸的内分泌信号模块的保守和共调控作用。我们将讨论激素信号如何促进生活史和形态进化。
