Habitat-related variation in the plasticity of a UV sensitive photoreceptor over a small spatial scale in the palmate newt

Plastic phenotypes are expected to be favoured in heterogeneous environments compared with stable environments. Sensory systems are interesting to test this theory because they are costly to produce and support, and strong fitness costs are expected if they are not tuned to the local environment. Consistently, the visual system of several species changes with the conditions experienced during early development. However, there is little information on whether the amplitude of the change, i.e. the reaction norm, differs between visual environments. Given the rapid change of many ecosystems, especially eutrophication for aquatic habitats, it is crucial to determine down to which spatial scale change in the reaction norm occurs. We addressed this issue by quantifying the between-habitat variation in the expression of a UV sensitive opsin in a newt. In western France, this species breeds in ponds of small forest patches, where water filters out UV, and in agricultural ponds where UV transmis...

相较于稳定环境，异质环境更有利于可塑性表型（plastic phenotypes）的演化保留。感官系统是检验该理论的理想模型，因其构建与维持均需投入高昂成本，且若其未适配本地环境，则会产生显著的适合度成本。已有研究一致表明，多个物种的视觉系统会随早期发育阶段所处的环境条件发生可塑性改变。然而，目前关于这类改变的幅度——即反应规范（reaction norm）——是否会因视觉环境的差异而有所不同，相关研究仍较为匮乏。鉴于当前诸多生态系统正快速发生变化，尤其水生栖息地正面临富营养化问题，明确反应规范的变化所能覆盖的空间尺度范围，已成为一项至关重要的研究课题。为此，我们通过量化该蝾螈眼中紫外敏感视蛋白（UV sensitive opsin）的表达水平，探究了不同生境间的表达差异。在法国西部，该物种的繁殖栖息地分为两类：一类是小型林塘，其水体可过滤紫外光；另一类是农业池塘，其紫外透射……