Heterogeneity in temporally fluctuating environments

AlexanderBrowning

University of Melbourne

"Heterogeneity in temporally fluctuating environments"

Many biological systems regulate phenotypic heterogeneity as a fitness-maximising strategy in uncertain and dynamic environments. Analysis of such strategies is typically confined both to a discrete set of environmental conditions, and to a discrete (often binary) set of phenotypes specialised to each condition. In this talk, we extend on both fronts to encapsulate both a discrete and continuous spectrum of phenotypes arising in response to two broad classes of environmental fluctuations that drive changes in the phenotype-dependent growth rates. We present a series of analytical and semi-analytical results that reveal regimes in which both discrete and continuous phenotypic heterogeneity is evolutionary advantageous.
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