Heatwave-induced paternal effects have limited adaptive benefits in
offspring
- Sara Irish,
- Andreas Sutter,
- Livia Pinzoni,
- Mabel Sydney,
- Laura Travers,
- David Murray,
- Jean-Charles DeCoriolis,
- Simone Immler
Abstract
As the threat of climate change and associated heatwaves grows, we need
to understand how natural populations will respond. Inter-generational
non-genetic inheritance may play a key role in rapid adaptation, but
whether such mechanisms are truly adaptive and sufficient to protect
wild populations is unclear. The contribution of paternal effects in
particular is not fully understood, even though the male reproductive
system may be highly sensitive to heatwaves. We used the zebrafish Danio
rerio to investigate the effects of heatwaves on male fertility and
assess potential adaptive benefits to their offspring in a number of
large-scale heatwave experiments. Heatwave conditions had negative
effects on male fertility by reducing gamete quality and fertilisation
success, and we found indications of an adaptive effect on hatching in
offspring produced by heatwave-exposed males. Our findings highlight the
importance of including male and female fertility when determining
species ability to cope with extreme conditions and suggest that
parental effects provide limited adaptive benefits.Submitted to Ecology and Evolution 18 Jun 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Jun 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
12 Aug 20241st Revision Received
16 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
16 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
16 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
19 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
20 Sep 2024Editorial Decision: Accept