Ecological and evolutionary connections between morphology, physiology, and behavior
Phenotype variation within populations both provides the raw material for and is the product of evolutionary change. An individual’s phenotype, defined as the amalgamation of morphology, physiology, and behavior, is highly complex. It has been common to try to isolate each of these aspects of phenotype rather than directly examine their integration. For example, despite the demonstrated importance of single aspects of phenotype for acquiring mates it is well known that signal traits are not evaluated in isolation, but rather in conjunction with associated behaviors, and sometimes with other signal traits (Møller and Pomiankowski, 1993; Candolin, 2003; Hebets and Papaj, 2005; Hebets, 2011). Indeed, the multidimensional components of phenotype are influenced by a dynamic interplay among morphology, physiology, and behavior, as well as the social and environmental context in which phenotypes are expressed. Such interactive feedbacks indicate that current models of the function and evolution of complex phenotypes, including those used as signal traits, must be updated to incorporate these dynamic interactions.