Stabilizing selection shapes variation in phenotypic plasticity

Abstract The adaptive nature of phenotypic plasticity is widely documented in natural populations. However, little is known about the evolutionary forces that shape genetic variation in plasticity within populations. Here we empirically address this issue by testing the hypothesis that stabilizing selection shapes genetic variation in the anti-predator developmental plasticity of Daphnia pulex. The anti-predator morphological defense is characterized by pedestal and spikes that grow on the back of the Daphnia neck following exposure to predator cure. We characterized variation in this plasticity using a novel, high-throughput phenotyping method that describes the entire dorsal shape amongst >100 D. pulex strains originating from a natural population in the UK. We found low genetic diversity for morphological defenses among genetically diverse clones upon predation risk exposure. The strongest reduction in genetic variation was observed in areas of greatest phenotypic plasticity, which we interpret as evidence of stabilizing selection. By assessing among-clone variance in clonally related, field derived strains, we contrasted mutational variation (Vm) to standing variation (Vg). We found that Vg/Vm is lowest in areas of greatest plasticity. These data strongly suggest that stabilizing selection operates directly on phenotypic plasticity, providing a rare glimpse into the evolution of fitness related traits in natural populations.