Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity in the cyprinid Pimephales promelas

• Applicant: Dr. Denis Meuthen
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions ; Sensory and Behavioural Biology ; Evolution, Anthropology
• Term: from 2017 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 376694507

Organisms have evolved different strategies to cope with environmental change. One of these is phenotypic plasticity, the ability of genotypes to produce different phenotypes dependent on the environment. Transgenerational phenotypic plasticity refers to the effects of current environmental conditions on the phenotypes of subsequent generations. This mechanism allows offspring to adapt to the environmental conditions of previous generations, to which they will be most likely exposed to as well. Despite the relevance of transgenerational plasticity in the evolutionary process, it is still not well-understood. This is because hitherto most studies have primarily focused on species with asexual reproduction or on the transition between just two generations. Predation is an important temporally and spatially fluctuating environmental factor and therefore a well-known agent that induces phenotypic plasticity. The aim of this proposal is to study antipredator phenotypic plasticity in a sexually reproducing fish so as to reveal the mechanisms and consequences of transgenerational plasticity. The fathead minnow Pimephales promelas, a fish species with paternal care that has been previously used to study questions concerning antipredator strategies, is well-established as a model system at the host institution. Its short generation times and easy breeding makes this species very suitable for the present proposal. In a large-scale breeding experiment, I aim to apply a split-clutch design and will thus raise fish either under simulated high predation risk or control conditions over consecutive generations. First, I will disentangle predator-induced transgenerational effects that are transmitted via sperm and eggs from those that arise due to an altered parental care in a high-risk environment. Second, I will determine the consequences of transgenerational plasticity over consecutive generations and test the hypothesis that plasticity may facilitate the emergence of (genetic) adaptations. Third, I will determine the sex-specificity of transgenerational plasticity by comparing the outcome of paternal versus maternal exposure to high predation risk. Here, I will also study the effects of direct exposure of offspring to simulated high predation risk relative to the outcome of transgenerational plasticity only. I will address these topics with a multi-trait approach that will allow determining differences between treatments along behavioral, morphological and life-history traits both within and across generations.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Canada
• Host: Professor Dr. Douglas P. Chivers