Theory 36/Plasticity vs Canalisation/Development
Plastic Embryos Are Fragile
The claim
Developmental plasticity trades against robustness, so an organism that adjusts its form to the environment has less canalisation to buffer perturbations.
01Mechanism
Canalisation requires fixed developmental paths; plasticity requires sensitivity to input, which is the same sensitivity that lets perturbation through.
02Prediction
Perturbation sensitivity should rise with plasticity.
03Refutation
Robustness independent of plasticity would remove the trade-off.