Premium
Reaction norms of Arabidopsis . V. Flowering time controls phenotypic architecture in response to nutrient stress
Author(s) -
Pigliucci M.,
Schlichting C. D.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1998.11030285.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetic architecture , phenotypic plasticity , ecotype , brassicaceae , phenotype , evolutionary biology , arabidopsis thaliana , pleiotropy , quantitative genetics , genetic model , quantitative trait locus , adaptation (eye) , selection (genetic algorithm) , population , genetic variation , genetics , ecology , gene , mutant , demography , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
The evolutionary and environmental stability of character correlations has increasingly been the focus of ecological and quantitative genetic studies. Although the genetic stability of character correlations is a central assumption of quantitative genetic models of phenotypic evolution, theoretical considerations suggest that both the genetic and the phenotypic architecture should change in response to selection and to environmental heterogeneity. We investigate genetic (population) differences and plasticity to nutrient availability of the phenotypic architecture describing the whole‐plant phenotype of Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae). We found significant genetic differences among early and late flowering ecotypes in the relationships between several traits, when a path‐analytical model was used to estimate character correlations. Furthermore, we found significant plasticity of several path coefficients when nutrient levels were altered. A whole‐plant analysis considering all paths in the model simultaneously confirmed that populations of A. thaliana are characterized by distinct phenotypic architectures, and that these are altered in different ways by environmental changes. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of selective pressure on and response by multivariate phenotypes.