Plasticity promotes persistence across novel environments in experimental microcosms

Phenotypic plasticity––the ability of organisms to adjust their traits in response to changes in their environment––has long been thought to prevent extinction in novel or changing environments. However, there are few tests linking plasticity to population persistence. Here, we show that plasticity promotes population persistence in replicate populations of rotifers. We experimentally exposed 33 clonal lines that varied in plasticity to over 20 novel environments for up to 40 overlapping generations. We found that clonal populations expressing plasticity in morphology and life history traits persisted longer and were less likely to go extinct in novel environments than populations not expressing such plasticity. These results directly link plasticity to population persistence in novel environments and suggest that plasticity can buy time for organisms in a changing world.