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Sex-specific plasticity in a trophic polymorphic aquatic predator: a modeling approach

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Abstract

Phenotypic plasticity is common among animal taxa. While there are clearly limits and likely costs to plasticity, these costs are unknown for most organisms. Further, as plasticity is partially genetically determined, the potential magnitude of exhibited plasticity may vary among individuals. In addition to phenotypic plasticity, various animal taxa also display sexual size dimorphism, a feature ultimately thought to arise due to differential size-dependent fitness costs and benefits between sexes. We hypothesized that differential selection acting on males and females can indirectly select for unequal genetically defined plasticity potential between the sexes. We evaluate this possibility for Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis), a species that displays modest sexual size dimorphism and habitat-related morphological plasticity. Using 500-year simulations of an ecogenetic agent-based model, we demonstrate that genetically determined morphological plasticity potential may evolve differently for males and females, leading to greater realized morphological variation between habitats for one sex over the other. Genetically determined potential for plasticity evolved differently between sexes across (a) various sex-specific life-history differences and (b) a variety of assumed costs of plasticity acting on both growth and survival. Morphological analyses of Eurasian perch collected in situ were consistent with model predictions: realized morphological variation between habitats was greater for females than males. We suggest that due to sex-specific selective pressures, differences in male and female genetically defined potential for plasticity may be a common feature across organisms.

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Data availability

Upon acceptance of paper for publication, the baseline model code will be archived within the Purdue University Research Repository (https://purr.purdue.edu/).

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Funding

TH developed the model described herein while on sabbatical from Purdue University and visiting Uppsala University. Funding was provided by Purdue University and subsidized by support from the American-Scandinavian Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906, USA

    Tomas O. Höök

  2. Department of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Norbyv. 18 D, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden

    Richard Svanbäck

  3. Department of Ecology and Genetics, Limnology, Uppsala University, Norbyv. 18 D, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden

    Peter Eklöv

Authors
  1. Tomas O. Höök
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  2. Richard Svanbäck
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  3. Peter Eklöv
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Contributions

TH, RS and PE conceived the study and designed the model and analyses; TH developed the ecogenetic model code and analyzed the model output; RS compiled and analyzed the empirical data; TH led the writing of the manuscript. All the authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Tomas O. Höök.

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All research presented in the manuscript was conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules set forth by governments and institutions and all necessary permits were acquired when the research was conducted.

Additional information

Communicated by Donald DeAngelis.

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Höök, T.O., Svanbäck, R. & Eklöv, P. Sex-specific plasticity in a trophic polymorphic aquatic predator: a modeling approach. Oecologia 195, 341–354 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04843-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04843-1

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