Developmental stability (DS i.e. the ability of an individual to buffer its development against random disturbances) is most often estimated by fluctuating asymmetry (FA i.e. small random deviations from perfect symmetry). The evolutionary potential of developmental stability has been the subject of much recent debate in the literature. There appears to be a high degree of heterogeneity in observed relationships between DS and fitness and in the heritabilities of FA and DS. One potential source that may explain this or part of this heterogeneity is the amount of environmental stress present in the different studies. In additions different traits and different kinds of stress may have varying effects. The aim of this project is to study the effects of different forms of environmental stress on the evolutionary potential of developmental stability of a variety of traits.