Migration, local adaptation and the evolution of plasticity

Evolutionary biologists have long been interested in the conditions favoring phenotypic plasticity, in which a single genotype produces alternative phenotypes in response to different environmental conditions. Yet, little attention has been paid to the role of population differentiation and migration in the evolution of plasticity. A new theoretical analysis by Sultan and Spencer extends the current theory by examining the consequences of migration between subpopulations of a species living in a spatially variable environment. Their results suggest that modest migration between spatially varying subpopulations can greatly expand the conditions in which plasticity is favored.