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Abstract

Next article FreeAbout the CoverPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThe cover image features a hatchling American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) emerging from its nest. Like many non-mammalian vertebrates, the temperature that alligators experience during development determines their sex. Temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a form of developmental plasticity that may provide insight into how taxa respond to fluctuating environments and extreme conditions that are predicted to intensify with ongoing climate change. However, the evolutionary drivers of TSD are unresolved for many species, including crocodilians. In this issue, S. L. Bock, M. D. Hale, T. R. Rainwater, P. M. Wilkinson, and B. B. Parrott (pp. 43–54) demonstrate that fluctuating versus constant temperature conditions have different effects on the juvenile phenotype of alligators, and that warmer temperatures produce males with greater residual yolk reserves and larger hatchling sizes. Variation in developmental costs at different incubation temperatures may therefore contribute to the evolution of TSD.Coastal ecosystems are naturally variable in important physical stressors like temperature, salinity, pH, and hypoxia. Understanding how species adapt to such fluctuating conditions should enable better predictions of the evolutionary responses of coastal communities to climate change. In their Introduction (pp. 1–3), the editors of the series—Patrick J. Krug, John P. Wares, and Jonathan D. Allen—argue for a broader study of plasticity and local adaptation in aquatic organisms in the context of a fast-changing climate. This symposium issue brings together contributions examining all life stages of freshwater, estuarine, and marine organisms and uses approaches ranging from genomic to experimental techniques to understand survival strategies in unpredictable versus stable environments.Credits: Photo of juvenile alligator, Benjamin B. Parrott, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia. Cover design, Matt Lang, University of Chicago Press. Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 241, Number 1August 2021Adaptive and Plastic Responses to Environmental Variation Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/717022 Views: 304 © 2021 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.