Developmental Plasticity in Growth and Performance Blur Taxonomic Boundaries in South American True Toads (Rhinella)

Abstract

Developmental plasticity can affect traits directly related to survival, and some changes may promote or impair population persistence in changing environments. At the same time, it can also originate new complex phenotypes, surpassing species‐specific boundaries. Therefore, plastic responses have the potential to participate in processes of micro and macroevolution. In this study, we evaluate plastic responses to different thermal regimes during development in traits related to survival and also used for taxonomic classification of two true‐toad species, Rhinella icterica and Rhinella ornata. We raised tadpoles representing distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at different temperatures, and the resulting phenotypic patterns suggest canalization in R. icterica and complex variation revealed by plasticity among R. ornata OTUs. Plastic responses to thermal regimes produced differences among the OTUs in traits associated with specific survival strategies of Rhinella species. Some changes surpassed taxonomic boundaries and rescued lineage‐specific phenotypic patterns, establishing unusual phenotypic combinations for these species. Our results illustrate the contribution of developmental plasticity for processes involving phenotypic differentiation among species in traits directly related to survival.