Both within- and trans-generational plasticity can shape the response to different environments

Katlyn A. Nielsen

doi:10.7273/000004248

One mechanism that can help organisms cope with climate change or other novel environments is phenotypic plasticity, the ability to express multiple different phenotypes from the same genotype. Plasticity can occur in different forms, which are selected for under different conditions. Within-generational plasticity (WGP) results from an individual's environmental exposure and is selected for when developmental environment is similar to the adult/selective environment. Trans-generational plasticity (TGP) results from parental environmental exposure and is selected for when parental environment is an accurate indicator of their offspring's selective environment. When both WGP and TGP are present, they can interact and impact phenotypes more than would be expected otherwise. If these interactions are not accounted for, predictions about how plasticity will impact phenotypes may be misleading. Additionally, previous work has shown that the response to different environmental variables can interact within a generation, but it is less clear whether parental influence (TGP) can alter WGP in response to a different variable. In this study, invasive New Zealand mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) were used to investigate the role of TGP and its effects on WGP for several life history traits under 1) one environmental variable (parental and offspring salinity) and under 2) cross-variable conditions (parental salinity, offspring temperature). P. antipodarum were randomly placed into either low (5 ppt) or high salinity (12 ppt) conditions during the parental generation. Their offspring were placed into one of three treatments: low temperature (18C) and low salinity, low temperature and high salinity, or high temperature (24C) and low salinity. Growth parameters were estimated by fitting logistic growth curves and reproductive traits were measured. Both WGP and TGP influenced all growth traits, resulting in additive effects in the univariate experiment. In addition, degree of TGP depended on maternal lineage. Conversely, WGP and TGP interacted under cross-variable conditions, which resulted in similar growth responses for both parental salinities under high temperature conditions. These results suggest that TGP from one variable can have consequences for responses to other environments. As a result, understanding how WGP and TGP interact is essential for predicting responses of populations to environmental shifts.

Both within- and trans-generational plasticity can shape the response to different environments

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