Phenotypic plasticity and the effects of thermal fluctuations on specialists and generalists

Classical theories predict that relatively constant environments should generally favor specialists, while fluctuating environments should select for generalists. However, theoretical and empirical results have pointed out that generalist organisms might on the contrary perform poorly under fluctuations. In particular, if generalism is underlaid by phenotypic plasticity, performance of generalists should be modulated by the temporal characteristics of environmental fluctuations. Here, we used experiments in microcosms and a mathematical model to test whether the period or autocorrelation of thermal fluctuations mediate links between the level of generalism and the performance of organisms under fluctuations. In the experiment, thermal fluctuations consistently impeded performance compared to constant conditions. However, the intensity of this effect depended on the level of generalism: while the more specialists strains performed better under fast or negatively autocorrelated fluctuatio..., These data consist in phenotypic plasticity reaction norms of 15 genotypes of Tetrahymena thermophila, as presented in the paper \"Jacob S et al. Phenotypic plasticity and the effects of thermal fluctuations on specialists and generalists\", where we tested whether the period or autocorrelation of thermal fluctuations mediate links between the level of generalism and the performance of organisms under fluctuations., , # Phenotypic plasticity and the effects of thermal fluctuations on specialists and generalists

These data consist in phenotypic plasticity reaction norms of 15 genotypes of Tetrahymena thermophila, as presented in the paper \"Jacob S et al. Phenotypic plasticity and the effects of thermal fluctuations on specialists and generalists\", where we tested whether the period or autocorrelation of thermal fluctuations mediate links between the level of generalism and the performance of organisms under fluctuations.

Genotype: genotype designation

fluctuation_treatment: period or autocorrelation of thermal fluctuations

relat_growth_rate: growth rate relative to optimum

niche_width: width of the thermal tolerance curve, i.e. the temperature range containing 90% of the thermal niche

plasticity_size: morphological plasticity as the slope of the reaction norm of the scaled trait along temperature

plasticity_velocity: movement plasticity as the slope of the reaction norm of the scaled trait alon...