Data from: Dispersal propensity in Tetrahymena thermophila ciliates – a reaction norm perspective

Dispersal and phenotypic plasticity are two main ways for species to deal
with rapid changes of their environments. Understanding how genotypes (G),
environments (E) and their interaction (genotype and environment; G x E)
each affects dispersal propensity is therefore instrumental for predicting
the ecological and evolutionary responses of species under global change.
Here we used an actively dispersing ciliate to quantify the contributions
of G, E, and G x E on dispersal propensity, exposing 44 different
genotypes to three different environmental contexts (densities in
isogenotype populations). Moreover, we assessed the condition-dependence
of dispersal, i.e. whether dispersal is related to morphological,
physiological or behavioral traits. We found that genotypes showed marked
differences in dispersal propensity and that dispersal is plastically
adjusted to density, with the overall trend for genotypes to exhibit
negative density-dependent dispersal. A small, but significant G x E
interaction indicates genetic variability in plasticity and therefore some
potential for dispersal plasticity to evolve. We also show evidence
consistent with condition-dependent dispersal suggesting that genotypes
also vary in how individual condition is linked to dispersal under
different environmental contexts thereby generating complex dispersal
behavior due to only three variables (genes, environment, and individual
condition).