Phenotypic Plasticity: Beyond Nature and Nurture (Syntheses in Ecology and Evolution) - Hardcover

Pigliucci, Massimo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0801867886 ISBN 13: 9780801867880

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001

Synopsis

For more than two decades the concept of phenotypic plasticity has allowed researchers to go beyond the nature-nurture dichotomy to gain deeper insights into how organisms are shaped by the interaction of genetic and ecological factors. Phenotypic Plasticity: Beyond Nature and Nurture is the first work to synthesize the burgeoning area of plasticity studies, providing a conceptual overview as well as a technical treatment of its major components.

Phenotypic plasticity integrates the insights of ecological genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary theory. Plasticity research asks foundational questions about how living organisms are capable of variation in their genetic makeup and in their responses to environmental factors. For instance, how do novel adaptive phenotypes originate? How do organisms detect and respond to stressful environments? What is the balance between genetic or natural constraints (such as gravity) and natural selection? The author begins by defining phenotypic plasticity and detailing its history, including important experiments and methods of statistical and graphical analysis. He then provides extended examples of the molecular basis of plasticity, the plasticity of development, the ecology of plastic responses, and the role of costs and constraints in the evolution of plasticity. A brief epilogue looks at how plasticity studies shed light on the nature/nurture debate in the popular media.

Phenotypic Plasticity: Beyond Nature and Nurture thoroughly reviews more than two decades of research, and thus will be of interest to both students and professionals in evolutionary biology, ecology, and genetics.

About this title

Review:

"Phenotypic Plasticity is the most comprehensive book on this topic. It provides both a solid basis for understanding the subject and an inspiring synthesis of the current state of the discipline, and so can be equally recommended for students starting their research, for experts in the field and for all scientists generally interested in phenotypic plasticity. Hardly anyone will read this book without gaining new insights or new inspirations. The book is a 'must read' in the fields of evolution and ecology, and as such is an ideal topic for seminars. I highly recommend it and look forward to the next volumes in Scheiner's series."

(Ralph Tollrian Nature)

"It is difficult to see how any student of phenotypic plasticity will be able to get by without a copy of this on their shelf... [it] appeals to students at all levels of development and sophistication... It is a fascinating read and will not fail to stimulate new insight into this most important topic."

(G.J. Holloway Heredity)

"I appreciate the style of the book―theory, discussion, and plentiful examples from both zoology and botany are well balanced making the text understandable for a wide audience."

(Folia Geobotanica)

"This book... strongly shakes and stimulates our minds. After reading this book, I feel that I can understand a little more about the diversification and evolution of the fascinating living worlds surrounding us."

(Leonardo Galetto Plants, Systematics and Evolution)

Synopsis:

Phenotypic plasticity is the property of a given genotype to produce different phenotypes (morphologies or behaviors) in respone to distinct environmental conditions. The fundamental goal of plasticity studies is to go beyond the old nature-nurture (i.e., genes-environment) dichotomy to gain a deeper insight into how organisms are shaped by the interqaction of their genetics and ecology. Typical questions in plasticity studies include: how do novel adaptive phenotypes originate? How do organisms detect and respond to stressful environments? What is the balance between costs or constraints and natural selection? As a field of research, phenotypic plasticity has gained momentum during the past two decades, taking center stage at the interface of ecological genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary theory. This work is the first to synthesize this burgeoning area of research, providing a conceptual overview as well as a technical treatment of its major componenets.Pigliucci describes what phenotpyic plasticity is and how it is studied, discusses types of experiments with their statistical and graphical analaysis, and provides extended examples of the molecular basis of plasticity, the plasticity of development, the ecology of plastic responses, and the role of costs and constraints in the evolution of plasticity.

A brief epilogue looks at how plasticity studies shed light on the nature/nurture debate in the popular media.

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0801867886
• ISBN 13: 9780801867880
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 344