RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Phenotypic plasticity triggers rapid morphological convergence
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.05.25.445642
DO 10.1101/2021.05.25.445642
A1 Gómez, José M.
A1 González-Megías, Adela
A1 Narbona, Eduardo
A1 Navarro, Luis
A1 Perfectti, Francisco
A1 Armas, Cristina
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/05/26/2021.05.25.445642.abstract
AB Phenotypic convergence, the independent evolution of similar traits, is ubiquitous in nature, happening at all levels of biological organizations and in most kinds of living beings. Uncovering its mechanisms remains a fundamental goal in biology. Evolutionary theory considers that convergence emerges through independent genetic changes selected over long periods of time. We show in this study that convergence can also arise through phenotypic plasticity. We illustrate this idea by investigating how plasticity drives Moricandia arvensis, a mustard species displaying within-individual polyphenism in flowers, across the morphological space of the entire Brassicaceae family. By compiling the multidimensional floral phenotype, the phylogenetic relationships, and the pollination niche of over 3000 Brassicaceae species, we demonstrated that Moricandia arvensis exhibits a plastic-mediated within-individual floral disparity greater than that found not only between species but also between higher taxonomical levels such as genera and tribes. As a consequence of this divergence, M. arvensis moves outside the morphospace region occupied by its ancestors and close relatives, crosses into a new region where it encounters a different pollination niche and converges phenotypically with distant Brassicaceae lineages. Our study suggests that, by inducing phenotypes that explore simultaneously different regions of the morphological space, plasticity triggers rapid phenotypic convergence.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.