Behavioural vs. physiological adaptation: which contributes more to the evolution of complex traits in a warming climate?

Abstract

Through behavioural adaptation, organisms can alter their environment, and consequently, their exposure to selective pressures. In contrast, physiological traits adapt by accommodating environmental influences. Here, we examine how the coevolution of behavioural and physiological traits is shaped by their different relationships to the environment by modelling the adaptation of species with temperature-dependent sex determination to climate change. In these species, pivotal temperature and maternal nesting behaviour can evolve in response to rising temperatures that destabilise sex ratios. We used individual-based simulation modelling to ascertain the relative response to selection of these traits and determine how temperature-dependent embryonic survival and behavioural plasticity influence their coevolution. We found that pivotal temperature evolved to ameliorate sex-ratio bias more readily than nesting behaviour, though behaviour played an important role in adaptation to extreme environments. Selection favoured increased behavioural evolution when embryonic survival depended on nest temperature, while plasticity reduced the adaptive potential of behaviour. We demonstrate that the capacity of behavioural traits to respond to multiple selective pressures has a substantial impact on the coevolution of behavioural and physiological traits. Our findings highlight the complex interactions that occur when species adapt to new environments and the potential for plasticity to shape the course of evolution.