Karthik Panchanathan


Curriculum vitae



Department of Anthropology

University of Missouri

112 Swallow Hall
Columbia, MO 65211



Sensitive periods, but not critical periods, evolve in a fluctuating environment: a model of incremental development


Journal article


Nicole Walasek, Willem E. Frankenhuis, Karthik Panchanathan
Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2022

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APA   Click to copy
Walasek, N., Frankenhuis, W. E., & Panchanathan, K. (2022). Sensitive periods, but not critical periods, evolve in a fluctuating environment: a model of incremental development. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Walasek, Nicole, Willem E. Frankenhuis, and Karthik Panchanathan. “Sensitive Periods, but Not Critical Periods, Evolve in a Fluctuating Environment: a Model of Incremental Development.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2022).


MLA   Click to copy
Walasek, Nicole, et al. “Sensitive Periods, but Not Critical Periods, Evolve in a Fluctuating Environment: a Model of Incremental Development.” Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2022.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{nicole2022a,
  title = {Sensitive periods, but not critical periods, evolve in a fluctuating environment: a model of incremental development},
  year = {2022},
  journal = {Proceedings of the Royal Society B},
  author = {Walasek, Nicole and Frankenhuis, Willem E. and Panchanathan, Karthik}
}

Abstract

Sensitive periods, during which the impact of experience on phenotype is larger than in other periods, exist in all classes of organisms, yet little is known about their evolution. Recent mathematical modelling has explored the conditions in which natural selection favours sensitive periods. These models have assumed that the environment is stable across ontogeny or that organisms can develop phenotypes instantaneously at any age. Neither assumption generally holds. Here, we present a model in which organisms gradually tailor their phenotypes to an environment that fluctuates across ontogeny, while receiving cost-free, imperfect cues to the current environmental state. We vary the rate of environmental change, the reliability of cues and the duration of adulthood relative to ontogeny. We use stochastic dynamic programming to compute optimal policies. From these policies, we simulate levels of plasticity across ontogeny and obtain mature phenotypes. Our results show that sensitive periods can occur at the onset, midway through and even towards the end of ontogeny. In contrast with models assuming stable environments, organisms always retain residual plasticity late in ontogeny. We conclude that critical periods, after which plasticity is zero, are unlikely to be favoured in environments that fluctuate across ontogeny.


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