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The biology of developmental plasticity and the predictive adaptive response hypothesis

The biology of developmental plasticity and the predictive adaptive response hypothesis
The biology of developmental plasticity and the predictive adaptive response hypothesis
Many forms of developmental plasticity have been observed and these are usually beneficial to the organism. The Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR) hypothesis refers to a form of developmental plasticity in which cues received in early life influence the development of a phenotype that is normally adapted to the environmental conditions of later life. When the predicted and actual environments differ, the mismatch between the individual's phenotype and the conditions in which it finds itself can have adverse consequences for Darwinian fitness and, later, for health. Numerous examples exist of the long-term effects of cues indicating a threatening environment affecting the subsequent phenotype of the individual organism. Other examples consist of the long-term effects of variations in environment within a normal range, particularly in the individual's nutritional environment. In mammals the cues to developing offspring are often provided by the mother's plane of nutrition, her body composition or stress levels. This hypothetical effect in humans is thought to be important by some scientists and controversial by others. In resolving the conflict, distinctions should be drawn between PARs induced by normative variations in the developmental environment and the ill effects on development of extremes in environment such as a very poor or very rich nutritional environment. Tests to distinguish between different developmental processes impacting on adult characteristics are proposed. Many of the mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity involve molecular epigenetic processes, and their elucidation in the context of PARs and more widely has implications for the revision of classical evolutionary theory
0022-3751
2357-2368
Bateson, P.
8a06ce00-2a95-4931-ae7b-96754e74fbc6
Gluckman, Peter D.
ef2e8b92-0b76-4a12-bd7c-01b0674f94d3
Hanson, M.A.
1952fad1-abc7-4284-a0bc-a7eb31f70a3f
Bateson, P.
8a06ce00-2a95-4931-ae7b-96754e74fbc6
Gluckman, Peter D.
ef2e8b92-0b76-4a12-bd7c-01b0674f94d3
Hanson, M.A.
1952fad1-abc7-4284-a0bc-a7eb31f70a3f

Bateson, P., Gluckman, Peter D. and Hanson, M.A. (2014) The biology of developmental plasticity and the predictive adaptive response hypothesis. The Journal of Physiology, 592, part 11, 2357-2368. (doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2014.271460). (PMID:24882817)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Many forms of developmental plasticity have been observed and these are usually beneficial to the organism. The Predictive Adaptive Response (PAR) hypothesis refers to a form of developmental plasticity in which cues received in early life influence the development of a phenotype that is normally adapted to the environmental conditions of later life. When the predicted and actual environments differ, the mismatch between the individual's phenotype and the conditions in which it finds itself can have adverse consequences for Darwinian fitness and, later, for health. Numerous examples exist of the long-term effects of cues indicating a threatening environment affecting the subsequent phenotype of the individual organism. Other examples consist of the long-term effects of variations in environment within a normal range, particularly in the individual's nutritional environment. In mammals the cues to developing offspring are often provided by the mother's plane of nutrition, her body composition or stress levels. This hypothetical effect in humans is thought to be important by some scientists and controversial by others. In resolving the conflict, distinctions should be drawn between PARs induced by normative variations in the developmental environment and the ill effects on development of extremes in environment such as a very poor or very rich nutritional environment. Tests to distinguish between different developmental processes impacting on adult characteristics are proposed. Many of the mechanisms underlying developmental plasticity involve molecular epigenetic processes, and their elucidation in the context of PARs and more widely has implications for the revision of classical evolutionary theory

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 30 May 2014
Published date: 1 June 2014
Organisations: Human Development & Health

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 367316
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/367316
ISSN: 0022-3751
PURE UUID: d311afbf-0646-4615-9284-3df797950810
ORCID for M.A. Hanson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6907-613X

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Date deposited: 26 Aug 2014 11:13
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:07

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Contributors

Author: P. Bateson
Author: Peter D. Gluckman
Author: M.A. Hanson ORCID iD

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