Important questions about mechanisms of physiological adaptation concern the role of phenotypic plasticity and the extent to which acclimatization responses align with genetic responses to selection. Such questions can be addressed in experimental studies of high-altitude vertebrates by investigating how mechanisms of acclimatization to hypoxia in lowland natives may influence genetic adaptation to hypoxia in highland natives. Evidence from high-altitude mammals suggest that evolved changes in some physiological traits involved canalization of the ancestral acclimatization response to hypoxia (genetic assimilation), a mechanism that results in an evolved reduction in plasticity. In addition to cases where adaptive plasticity may have facilitated genetic adaptation, evidence also suggests that some physiological changes in high-altitude natives are the result of selection to mitigate maladaptive plastic responses to hypoxia (genetic compensation). Examples of genetic compensation involve the attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in Tibetan humans and other mammals native to high altitude. Here we discuss examples of adaptive physiological phenotypes in high-altitude natives that may have evolved by means of genetic assimilation or genetic compensation.

关于生理适应机制的重要问题涉及表型可塑性的作用以及适应反应与对选择的遗传反应一致的程度。这些问题可以在高海拔脊椎动物的实验研究中解决，方法是调查低地原住民对缺氧的适应机制如何影响高地原住民对缺氧的遗传适应。来自高海拔哺乳动物的证据表明，某些生理特征的进化变化涉及祖先对缺氧的适应反应（遗传同化）的通道化，这是一种导致可塑性逐渐降低的机制。除了适应性可塑性可能促进遗传适应的情况外，证据还表明，高海拔当地人的一些生理变化是选择减轻对缺氧的适应不良塑料反应（遗传补偿）的结果。遗传补偿的例子包括减少藏族人和其他原产于高海拔地区的哺乳动物的缺氧性肺动脉高压。在这里，我们讨论了高海拔当地人的适应性生理表型的例子，这些表型可能是通过遗传同化或遗传补偿而进化的。