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The evolutionary ecology of phenotypic plasticity of laying date in the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca Phenotypic plasticity defined as the ability of a genotype to alter its phenotype in direct response to changes in the environment, provides the potential for organisms to respond rapidly and effectively to environmental change. Global change has led to advances in the timing of breeding of birds (laying date) with strong consequences for the genetic contribution of individuals to the next generation. However, we know rather little about the role of phenotypic plasticity in wild populations as evolutionary mechanism. The aim of this PhD project is to explore the role of plasticity of laying date in a population of pied flycatchers, Ficedula hypoleuca, tracked since 1987 in central Spain on local adaptation to current environmental variation. The first point of my PhD is to detect the environmental factors i.e. agents of selection, that lead evolutionary adaptation. Multiple environmental conditions can act as selective agents and influence laying date and their fitness consequences. In a second time, I will focus on exploring the between and within-individual variation (reaction norms) on laying date according to the major environmental factors detected before. Third, I will determine the evolutionary potential of phenotypic plasticity, tackling explicitly whether plasticity at the level of genotypes occur. Forth, and finally, I will explore the demographic consequences of phenotypic plasticity under scenarios of climate change. The uniting goal of my PhD is understanding the role of phenotypic

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