Phenotypic Plasticity Opposes Species Invasions by Altering Fitness Surface
2006
Modeling Alien Invasions: Plasticity May Hold the Key to Prevention
publication
Author Information
Author(s): Scott Peacor, Mercedes Pascual
Hypothesis
When a flexible, adaptive response to environmental variation increases fitness, it should enhance a species’ ability to invade and displace other species.
Conclusion
Phenotypic plasticity can act as a barrier to species invasion, affecting the success of invaders and residents in unexpected ways.
Supporting Evidence
- Plastic species can successfully invade or resist against invasion by an inflexible opponent.
- When both consumers were nonplastic, the alien incurred only minor fitness costs by deviating from the optimum.
- When both consumers had plasticity, the resident’s fitness landscape proved too steep to scale.
Takeaway
Some species can change their behavior to survive better in new places, but if both the new and old species can change, it can actually stop invasions.
Methodology
The authors modeled the invasion of a hypothetical food chain by considering competition, environmental variability, and adaptive traits.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website