Biochemical Society Transactions · 4 authors, 2 centres
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This narrative review synthesizes current knowledge on the evolution and mechanisms of developmental plasticity in insects, using key examples like beetle horn size and caste determination. It identifies major knowledge gaps, particularly in linking environmental cues to sensor systems and understanding how a limited set of neuroendocrine modulators generates specific phenotypic outcomes.
This narrative review discusses environmentally induced developmental plasticity in insects, focusing on examples such as beetle horn size, butterfly eyespots, and caste determination in eusocial insects. It outlines a conceptual framework dividing plasticity into cue-sensor, modulator, and effector systems, highlighting the role of neuroendocrine signaling (e.g., juvenile hormone, ecdysone) as a key modulator. The review identifies fundamental gaps, including the need to precisely link environmental cues to their sensory mechanisms and to understand how common modulators generate tissue-specific responses. It advocates for comparative evo-devo studies to address how plasticity evolves and functions, while noting limitations such as the expense of hormone measurement techniques and the need for broader taxonomic sampling. The implications are for a more integrated, mechanistic understanding of a widespread biological phenomenon.
