PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Greg M. Walter AU - James Clark AU - Antonia Cristaudo AU - Delia Terranova AU - Bruno Nevado AU - Stefania Catara AU - Momchil Paunov AU - Violeta Velikova AU - Dmitry Filatov AU - Salvatore Cozzolino AU - Simon J. Hiscock AU - Jon R. Bridle TI - Adaptive divergence generates distinct plastic responses in two closely related <em>Senecio</em> species AID - 10.1101/2020.01.24.918201 DP - 2021 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 2020.01.24.918201 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/05/27/2020.01.24.918201.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/05/27/2020.01.24.918201.full AB - The evolution of plastic responses to external cues allows species to track the environmental variation they regularly experience. However, it remains unclear how plasticity evolves during adaptation. To test whether distinct patterns of plasticity is associated with recent adaptive divergence, we quantified plasticity for two closely related but ecologically divergent Sicilian daisy species (Senecio, Asteraceae). We sampled c.40 genotypes of each species from natural populations on and around Mt Etna and then reciprocally transplanted multiple clones of each genotype into four field sites along an elevational gradient representing each species’ native range, the edge of their range, and conditions outside their native range. At each elevation we quantified survival and measured leaf traits that included investment (specific leaf area), morphology, chlorophyll fluorescence, pigment content and gene expression. As evidence of adaptive divergence, both species performed better at their native site and better than the species from the other habitat. Traits and differentially expressed genes that changed with elevation in one species often showed little change in the other species, or changed in the opposite direction. Adaptive divergence is therefore associated with the evolution of distinct plastic responses to environmental variation, despite these two species sharing a recent common ancestor.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.