Differential effects of parental and developmental temperatures on larval thermal adaptation in oviparous and viviparous model fish species

Jigang Xia; Chuke Deng; Xueli Zheng; Yan Huang; Chris K Elvidge; Shijian Fu

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103695

Differential effects of parental and developmental temperatures on larval thermal adaptation in oviparous and viviparous model fish species

J Therm Biol. 2023 Oct:117:103695. doi: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103695. Epub 2023 Aug 29.

Authors

Jigang Xia¹, Chuke Deng², Xueli Zheng³, Yan Huang³, Chris K Elvidge⁴, Shijian Fu²

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behavior, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Fish Ecology and Conservation Research Center, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China. Electronic address: jigangxia@163.com.
² Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behavior, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China; Fish Ecology and Conservation Research Center, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
³ Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behavior, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Animal Biology, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, 401331, China.
⁴ Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 5B6.

PMID: 37659344
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103695

Abstract

Phenotypic plasticity has been identified as a major mechanism of response to changing temperatures. Parental effects are potentially important drivers of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, while developmental plasticity also plays a key role in generating phenotypic variation. However, little is known of the interaction between parental effects and developmental plasticity on the thermal phenotypes of fishes with different reproductive modes (i.e. oviparous vs. viviparous). To understand the contributions of inter- and intra-generational plasticity of thermal phenotypes (preferred temperature, avoidance temperatures, critical thermal thresholds) in fishes with different reproductive modes, we carried out a factorial experiment in which both breeding parents and offspring were exposed to lower (22 °C) or higher (28 °C) temperatures, using zebrafish (Danio rerio) and guppies (Poecilia reticulata) as representative oviparous and viviparous species. We found that offspring thermal preference and avoidance of both species were significantly influenced by parental effects and developmental plasticity, with higher thermal preference and avoidance consistent with higher background (parental) temperature treatments. However, parental effects were only found to impose significant effect on the thermal tolerances of guppies. The findings suggest that phenotypic plasticity, both within and across generations, may be an important mechanism to adapt to rapid climate changes, and that future temperature fluctuations may impose more profound effects on viviparous fish species in general.

Keywords: Climate change; Development; Parental effects; Thermal adaptation; Transgenerational plasticity (TGP).