Outstanding Questions
How can the effect of plasticity on evolution be quantified? We suggest that manipulating the rate of mean change, variability, or autocorrelation with appropriate controls could elucidate the interplay between plasticity and selection. Importantly, focusing on how the chosen environmental parameter influences heritability, selection, life history, or population size can clarify the mechanism of influence. In order to test these hypotheses, one must first define the types of environmental change that may be experimentally manipulated, the genetic mechanisms that affect the trait(s) of interest (section 2), and type of plasticity in the population (section 3).
Can knowledge about the context-dependent role of plasticity in adaptive evolution aid in land management and determine conservation priorities? We suggest that simultaneously estimating the environmental change components reviewed in this article and measuring both the evolutionary and phenotypic plastic responses in the relevant system will unlock new insights into the ability of populations to persist under climate change.
Which hypotheses of the potential role of plasticity are most robust and accurate? This question cannot yet be answered, for the hypotheses we have put forth, which are stimulated by both eco-evolutionary theory and evidence, are thus far untested with respect to relative prevalence or accuracy. New information about the mechanisms underlying ecological and evolutionary response to different types of environmental change will raise new questions regarding when plasticity’s potential role in adaptive responses might be greatest.