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      Re-evaluating the costs and limits of adaptive phenotypic plasticity.

      1 , ,
      Proceedings. Biological sciences
      The Royal Society

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          Abstract

          When the optimal phenotype differs among environments, adaptive phenotypic plasticity can evolve unless constraints impede such evolution. Costs and limits of plasticity have been proposed as important constraints on the evolution of plasticity, yet confusion exists over their distinction. We attempt to clarify these concepts by reviewing their categorization and measurement, highlighting how costs and limits are defined in different currencies (and may describe the same phenomenon). Conclusions from studies that measure the costs of plasticity have been equivocal, but we caution that these conclusions may be premature owing to a potentially common correlation between environment-specific trait values and the magnitude of trait plasticities (i.e. multi-collinearity) that results in imprecise and/or biased estimates of the costs. Meanwhile, our understanding of the limits of plasticity, and how they may be underlain by the costs of plasticity, is still in its infancy. Based on our re-evaluation of these constraints, we discuss areas for future research.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Proc Biol Sci
          Proceedings. Biological sciences
          The Royal Society
          1471-2954
          0962-8452
          Feb 22 2010
          : 277
          : 1681
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 101 Clapp Hall, 4249 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. josh.auld@cefe.cnrs.fr
          Article
          rspb.2009.1355
          10.1098/rspb.2009.1355
          2842679
          19846457
          fd3ae894-2d12-45c0-bef2-c348c158dfc5
          History

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