Biology subjects

Prileson, E. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Prileson, E. G..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Insecticide resistance evolution and assisted gene flow interact to shape the evolution of plasticity

Adaptive phenotypic plasticity can bolster fitness in changing environments, but the extent to which plasticity evolves rapidly, and which forces shape this evolutionary trajectory, is largely unknown. To empirically study the evolution of plasticity we first conducted a replicated field experiment in which Drosophila melanogaster populations adapted to insecticide exposure and a subset of these populations received high diversity assisted gene flow. We then reared individuals from each population across temperature and insecticide treatments in common garden to test the following questions: 1. Has prior selection and rapid adaptation of insecticide resistance led to evolved shifts in plasticity relative to naive populations? 2. Does gene flow from genetically diverse populations contribute to adaptive plasticity evolution relative to gene flow-restricted low diversity populations? Both gene flow and prior evolution of resistance influenced the evolution of plasticity for multiple traits and were often maladaptive for resistant and gene flow-restricted populations, suggesting a trade-off between trait and plasticity evolution. Assisted gene flow minimized maladaptive plasticity potentially through relaxation of underlying epistatic or pleiotropic constraints. Together, these results demonstrate the dynamic interactions between trait evolution, the evolution of plasticity, and forces that shape genetic diversity with implications for conservation of threatened populations.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Adaptation and trade-offs with insecticide resistance in overwintering Drosophila

Winter is a formidable challenge for ectotherms that inhabit temperate climates. Prior work has demonstrated that multivoltine organisms can evolve rapidly in response to temporal changes within a growing season, a process termed adaptive tracking. However, the mechanisms by which winter conditions drive rapid adaptation, particularly when combined with strong anthropogenic stressors, remain poorly understood. Here we use replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster in a field experiment to test i) whether winter conditions drive rapid adaptation and ii) for trade-offs between insecticide resistance and overwintering survival. Following a longitudinal field experiment spanning summer and fall investigating the evolution of insecticide resistance, we tracked subsequent evolution during an overwintering period. We detected repeated evolutionary shifts indicative of adaptation to winter conditions in multiple traits, including body size and fecundity. Additionally, populations that had evolved insecticide resistance during the growing season had reduced survival and showed patterns of lower resistance following the winter period, suggestive of a trade-off between overwintering success and insecticide resistance. These rapid evolutionary responses and potential trade-offs provide important context for understanding overwintering performance in temperate insects, with implications for pest management and ecosystem services.

evolutionary biology↗