Abstract
Phenotypically plastic organisms are capable of adjusting their phenotypes in a variable environment. Padilla and Adolph (1996) modeled this process and included a time lag between detection of an environmental change and the responding change in phenotype. We extended the Padilla and Adolph model from two to three discrete environments and phenotypes and analyzed the model computationally. Our results were consistent with their findings: the fitness advantage of phenotypic plasticity is higher when (1) the lag time is shorter, (2) the probability of environmental change is lower, and (3) the fitness disadvantage of mismatched phenotypes and environments is more severe. Additionally, we observed that there is a critical lag time beyond which it is no longer advantageous to be phenotypically plastic, compared to being phenotypically fixed (unchanging), with the exception of special symmetric cases. Thus, lag time can be a critical determinant of whether phenotypic plasticity is favored.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Sarah P.; Douglas, Marissa C. K.; and Adolph, Stephen C.
(2026)
"Phenotypic Plasticity in a Stochastic Environment: Modeling Three Phenotypes and Environments,"
Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics: Vol. 12, 118–128.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61403/2473-5493.1123
Available at:
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/spora/vol12/iss1/9
