David W. Pfennig Research Group

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

How does environmentally induced developmental plasticity influence evolutionary diversification and innovation? The lab investigates causes and consequences of developmental (phenotypic) plasticity and its genetic and developmental bases. Researchers test how competition drives trait evolution and whether such evolution facilitates speciation using empirical ecological and evolutionary approaches. The group studies Batesian mimicry to measure natural selection’s role in promoting adaptive resemblance between palatable and dangerous species. They integrate field and laboratory experiments to connect plastic developmental responses with longer-term evolutionary outcomes.