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Codes for: A numerical model supports the evolutionary advantage of recombination plasticity in shifting environments

Numerous empirical studies have witnessed an increase in meiotic recombination rate in response to physiological stress imposed by unfavorable environmental conditions. Thus, inherited plasticity in recombination rate is hypothesized to be evolutionarily advantageous in changing environments. Previous theoretical models proceeded from the assumption that organisms increase their recombination rate when the environment becomes more stressful and demonstrated the evolutionary advantage of such a form of plasticity. Here, we numerically explore a complementary scenario – when the plastic increase in recombination rate is triggered by the environmental shifts. Specifically, we assume increased recombination in individuals developing in a different environment than their parents and optionally, also in offspring of such individuals. We show that such shift-inducible recombination is always superior when the optimal constant recombination implies an intermediate rate. Moreover, under certain conditions, plastic recombination may appear beneficial also when the optimal constant recombination is either zero or free. The advantage of plastic recombination was better predicted by the range of the population's mean fitness over the period of environmental fluctuations, compared to the geometric mean fitness. These results hold for both panmixia and partial selfing, with faster dynamics of recombination modifier alleles under selfing. We think that recombination plasticity can be acquired under the control of environmentally responsive mechanisms such as chromatin epigenetics remodeling.

Investigating the effects of whole genome duplication on phenotypic plasticity: Implications for the invasion success of Giant Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea)

Polyploidy commonly occurs in invasive species and phenotypic plasticity (PP, the ability to alter one's phenotype in different environments), is predicted to be enhanced in polyploids and contribute to their invasive success. However, empirical support that increased PP is frequent in polyploids and/or confers invasive success is limited. Here, we investigated if polyploids are more pre-adapted to become invasive than diploids via the scaling of trait values and PP with ploidy-level, and if post-introduction selection has led to a divergence in trait values and PP responses between native- and non-native cytotypes. We grew diploid, tetraploid (from both native North American and non-native European ranges), and hexaploid Solidago gigantea in pots outside with low, medium, and high soil nitrogen and phosphorus (NP) amendments, and measured traits related to growth, asexual reproduction, physiology, and insects/pathogen resistance. We found little evidence to suggest that polyploidy and post-selection shaped mean trait and PP responses. To examine invasion dynamics, we compared diploids to tetraploids (as their introduction into Europe was more likely), and found that tetraploids had greater pathogen resistance, photosynthetic capacities, and water-use efficiencies and generally performed better under NP enrichments. Furthermore, tetraploids invested more into roots than shoots in low NP and into shoots than roots in high NP and this resource strategy is beneficial under variable NP conditions. Lastly, native-tetraploids exhibited greater plasticity in biomass accumulation, clonal-ramet production and water-use efficiency. Cumulatively, tetraploid S. gigantea possesses traits that might have pre-disposed and enabled them to become successful invaders. Our findings highlight that trait expression and invasive species dynamics are nuance while also providing insight into the invasion success and cyto-geographic patterning of S. gigantea that can be broadly applied to other invasive species with polyploid complexes.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2022View details →

Data supplement for "Molecular motors enhance microtubule lattice plasticity" Lecompte, William; John, Karin

This dataset contains the data and source files for figures 2 (a-e), 3(a-d), 4(b,c,e) and Supplementary figures 5, 7(a-e), 8 and 9(a-c) in the following publication:    W. Lecompte and K. John   "Molecular motors enhance microtubule lattice plasticity"   published in 2023 in PRX Life (ArXiv https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.09161)   Please follow the instructions given in 'Readme.txt'.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2023View details →

Plastic pollution within "The Gully" Marine Protected Area of the Scotian Shelf, Northwest Atlantic

This dataset contains information on plastic particle densities, characteristics (colour, morphology), size, and polymer types collected from seawater in "The Gully" Marine Protected Area between 1990 and 2019. Also included are the characteristics, sizes, and polymer types of ingested debris removed from the stomachs of two Endangered northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) stranded in Canada in 2019 and 2021. These data appear across 4 tabs in a single .xlsx file, connected by a SampleID column.  Please see the following publication for full details:  Kelly, N.E., Feyrer, L., Gavel, H., Trela, O., Ledwell, W., Breeze, H., Marotte, E.C., McConney, L. and Whitehead, H., 2023. Long term trends in floating plastic pollution within a marine protected area identifies threats for Endangered northern bottlenose whales. Environmental Research, 227, p.115686. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.115686.

Data from: Macroecological predictors of evolutionary and plastic potential do not apply at microgeographic scales for a freshwater Cladoceran under climate change

Rapid evolutionary adaptation could reduce the negative impacts of climate change if sufficient heritability of key traits exists under future climate conditions. Plastic responses to climate change could also reduce negative impacts. Understanding which populations are likely to respond via evolution or plasticity could therefore improve estimates of extinction risk. A large body of research suggests that the evolutionary and plastic potential of a population can be predicted by the degree of spatial and temporal climatic variation it experiences. However, we know little about the scale at which these relationships apply. Here, we test if spatial and temporal variation in temperature affect genetic variation and plasticity of fitness and a key thermal tolerance trait (critical thermal maximum; CTmax) at microgeographic scales using a metapopulation of Daphnia magna. Specifically, we ask if: (1) there is microgeographic adaptation of CTmax and fitness to differences in temperature among the pools, (2) pools with greater temporal temperature variation have more genetic variation or plasticity in CTmax or fitness, and (3) increases in temperature affect the heritability of CTmax and fitness. Although we observed genetic variation and plasticity in CTmax and fitness, and differences in fitness among pools, we did not find support for the predicted relationships between temperature variation and genetic variation or plasticity. Furthermore, the genetic variation and plasticity we observed in CTmax is unlikely sufficient to reduce the impacts of climate change. CTmax plasticity was minimal and heritability was 72% lower when D. magna developed at the higher temperatures predicted under climate change. In contrast, the heritability of fitness increased by 53% under warmer temperatures suggesting an increase in overall evolutionary potential unrelated to CTmax under climate change. More research is needed to understand evolutionary and plastic potential under climate change and how that potential will be altered in future climates.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2023View details →

Data & R Code for "Enhanced long-term memory and increased mushroom body plasticity in Heliconius butterflies"

This ZIP file contains the data and R code used to analyse it for the paper "Enhanced long-term memory and increased mushroom body plasticity in Heliconius butterflies". Behavioural and neuroanatomical data are in separate folders.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2023View details →

Experimental constraints on isotopic resetting: synkinematic 40Ar loss from crystal-plastically deformed muscovite

Supporting analytical Ar/Ar data and mineral compositional data for the paper: "Experimental constraints on isotopic resetting: synkinematic 40Ar loss from crystal-plastically deformed muscovite" by: Alexane Legeay, Stéphane Scaillet, Jacques Précigout, Holger Stünitz, Angelo Mottolese, and Florian Duval submitted to to Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

Food quality shapes gradual phenotypic plasticity in ectotherms facing temperature variability

Organisms exhibit reversible physiological adjustments as a response to rapidly changing environments. Yet, such plasticity of the phenotype is gradual and may lag behind the environmental fluctuations, thereby affecting the long-term average performance of the organisms. By supplying energy and essential compounds for optimal tissue building, food determines the range of possible phenotypic changes and potentially the rate at which they occur. Here, we assess how differences in the dietary supply of essential lipids modulate the phenotypic plasticity of an ectotherm facing thermal fluctuations. We use three phytoplankton strains to create a gradient of polyunsaturated fatty acids and sterols supply for Daphnia magna under constant and fluctuating temperatures. We used three different fluctuation periodicities to unravel the temporal dynamics of gradual plasticity and its long-term consequences on D. magna performance measured as juvenile somatic growth rate. In agreement with gradual plasticity theory, we show that in D. magna, fluctuation periodicity determines the differential between observed growth rates and those expected from constant conditions. Most importantly, we show that diet modulates both the size and the direction of the growth rate differential. Overall, we demonstrate that the nutritional context is essential for predicting ectotherm consumers' performance in fluctuating thermal environments.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2023View details →

Dataset Hadler et al., 2023: Gamma-Oscillation Plasticity Is Mediated by Parvalbumin Interneurons

Dataset accompanying Hadler et al., 2023. Contains three files sufficient to reproduce the findings of the study: Gamma-Plasticity_Data-Dictionary.xlsx: A dictionary file supplementing the corresponding data file "Gamma-Plasticity_Data.xlsx". Explanations for column headers and variables are provided for the respective spreadsheets. Gamma-Plasticity_Data.xlsx: Sheet-by-sheet presentation of the descriptive data presented in each figure (including supplementary figures) of the manuscript. Gamma-Plasticity_Statistics-Report.xlsx: Sheet-by-sheet reporting of the statistical evaluation presented in each figure (including supplementary figures) of the manuscript. Re-edited from previous version due to errors in the Q-Q-plots in sheet Fig. S4.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2023View details →

Soil-biodegradable plastic films do not decompose in a lake sediment over 9 months of incubation

Dataset with the article 'Soil-biodegradable plastic films do not decompose in a lake sediment over 9 months of incubation', containing CO2 and CH4 data of sediment core incubations in a laboratory setting. Time is in days. Group identifiers: PC = control, PE = PE plastics (traditional), PR = Biodegradable plastics type 1, PS = biodegradable plastics type 2.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2023View details →

Dataset of experiment measurements of plastic particle settling induced by clay. and surfactants

Dataset giving experiment input parameters (clay type, surfactant, densities, added mass, etc), measured mass of particles at the surface and bottom, and calculated percent of total mass recovered with breakdown into percent of input plastic mass associated with floating and settled partlcles.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2023View details →

Data from: Community composition and physiological plasticity control microbial carbon storage across natural and experimental soil fertility gradients

Data associated with 'Community composition and physiological plasticity control microbial carbon storage across natural and experimental soil fertility gradients' by Butler, Manzoni, and Warren, published in The ISME Journal (accepted 28/9/2023).

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Assessing the evolutionary lability of insulin signaling in the regulation of nutritional plasticity across traits and species of horned dung beetles

Nutrition-dependent growth of sexual traits is a major contributor to phenotypic diversity and a large body of research documents insulin signaling as a major regulator of nutritional plasticity. However, findings across studies raise the possibility that the role of individual components within the insulin signaling pathway diverge in function among traits and taxa. Here, we use RNAi-mediated transcript depletion in the gazelle dung beetle to investigate the functions of forkhead box O (Foxo) and two paralogs of the insulin receptor (InR1 and InR2) in shaping nutritional plasticity in polyphenic male head horns, exaggerated fore legs, and weakly nutrition-responsive genitalia. Our functional genetic manipulations led to three main findings: FoxoRNAi reduced the length of exaggerated head horns in large males, while neither InR1 nor InR2 knock-downs resulted in measurable horn phenotypes. These results are similar to those documented previously for another horned dung beetle species (Onthophagus taurus), but in stark contrast to findings in rhinoceros beetles. Secondly, knockdown of Foxo, InR1, and InR2 led to an increase in the intercept or slope of the scaling relationship of genitalia size. These results are in contrast even to results documented previously for O. taurus. Lastly, while FoxoRNAi reduces male forelegs in D. gazella and O. taurus, the effects of InR1 and InR2 knockdowns diverged across dung beetle species. Taken together, our results add to the growing body of literature indicating that despite insulin signaling's conserved role as a regulator of nutritional plasticity, the functions of its components may diversify among traits and species.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Experimental and theoretical support for costs of plasticity and phenotype in a nematode cannibalistic trait

Developmental plasticity is the ability of a genotype to express multiple phenotypes under different environmental conditions and has been shown to facilitate the evolution of novel traits. However, while the associated cost of plasticity, i.e., the loss in fitness due to the ability to express plasticity in response to environmental change, and the cost of phenotype, i.e., the loss of fitness due to expressing a fixed phenotype across environments, have been theoretically predicted, empirically such costs remain poorly documented and little understood. Here, we use a plasticity model system, hermaphroditic nematode Pristionchus pacificus, to experimentally measure these costs in wild isolates under controlled laboratory conditions. P. pacificus can develop either a bacterial feeding or predatory mouth morph in response to different external stimuli, with natural variation of mouth-morph ratios between strains. We first demonstrated the cost of phenotype by analyzing fecundity and developmental speed in relation to mouth morphs across the P. pacificus phylogenetic tree. Then, we exposed P. pacificus strains to two distinct microbial diets that induce strain-specific mouth-form ratios. Our results indicate that the plastic strain does shoulder a cost of plasticity, i.e., the diet-induced predatory mouth morph is associated with reduced fecundity and slower developmental speed. In contrast, the non-plastic strain suffers from the cost of phenotype since its phenotype does not change to match the unfavorable bacterial diet but shows increased fitness and higher developmental speed on the favorable diet. Furthermore, using a stage-structured population model based on empirically derived life history parameters, we show how population structure can alleviate the cost of plasticity in P. pacificus. The results of the model illustrate the extent to which the costs associated with plasticity and its effect on competition depend on ecological factors. This study provides support for costs of plasticity and phenotype based on empirical and modeling approaches.

opencc-zeroOct 2023View details →

Sexes in sync: phenotypic plasticity, sexual selection, and phenological synchrony between the sexes in a wild hibernator

Desynchrony of phenological responses to climate change is a major concern in ecological communities. Potential uncoupling between one of the most fundamental divisions within populations, males and females, has not been well studied. To address this gap, we examined sex-specific plasticity in hibernation phenology in two populations of Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus). We find that both sexes display similar phenological plasticity to spring snowmelt dates in their timing of torpor termination and behavioural emergence from hibernation. As a result of this plasticity, the degree of protandry (i.e., males' emergences from hibernation preceding those of females) did not change significantly over the 27-year study. Earlier male behavioural emergence, relative to females, improved the likelihood of securing a breeding territory and increased annual reproductive success. Sexual selection favouring earlier male emergence from hibernation may maintain protandry in this population but did not contribute to further advances in male phenology. Older males also tended to emerge earlier and secure territories, and so it is unclear whether selection acts indirectly through age. Together, our results provide evidence that the sexes should remain synchronised, at least in response to the weather variation investigated here, and further support the role of sexual selection in the evolution of protandry in sexually reproducing organisms.

restrictedIPD-UNDECIDEDFeb 2026View details →

The Effect of Electroacustimulation on Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting and Pain in Outpatient Plastic Surgery Patients

ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT00941005. IPD Sharing: Not stated. Countries: 1. Publications: 2.

restrictedIPD-UNDECIDEDFeb 2026View details →

Motor Cortex Plasticity and the Effect of Deep Intramuscular Needling Stimulation Therapy (DIMST) in Osteoarthritis Pain

ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT01855958. IPD Sharing: Not stated. Countries: 1. Publications: 7.

closedIPD-NOFeb 2026View details →

Brain and Gut Plasticity in Mild TBI or Post-acute COVID Syndrome Following Growth Hormone Therapy

ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT03554265. IPD Sharing: NO. Countries: 1. Publications: 1.

restrictedIPD-UNDECIDEDFeb 2026View details →

Group-based Metacognitive Therapy for Burns and Plastics Patients

ClinicalTrials.gov study NCT04959916. IPD Sharing: UNDECIDED. Countries: 1. Publications: 1.