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The Plymouth Student Scientist

Matilda Powell

Document Type

Biological and Marine Sciences Article

Abstract

Developmental plasticity enables organisms to adjust phenotypes to environmental cues, yet the transgenerational consequences of maternal effects remain unclear. Hypoxia, intensified by climate change and eutrophication, triggers taxon-specific plastic responses. Daphnia magna exhibits plasticity dependence, making it a critical model species for studying environmental responses. While maternal hypoxia (MH) influences generational plasticity, its long-term impacts on reproductive and physiological traits across generations remain insufficiently explored, limiting predictions of species resilience to environmental change. This study employed a controlled two-generation design: gravid F0 adults were exposed to moderate hypoxia (40% air saturation) or normoxia (100% AS) for 8 days, with reproductive traits (body size, egg number, egg size) analysed. F1 offspring were then reared in common garden normoxia for 7 days until gravid, when both morphological (body size) and physiological traits (swim rate and haemoglobin concentration) were quantified. When F1 became gravid, reproductive trait measurements were repeated, with all parameters analysed using ImageJ. Statistical analysis revealed MH significantly reduced body size in both F0 and F1 generations (p < 0.05), though normoxic-reared F1 offspring showed partial recovery, surpassing hypoxic F0 adults in size (p < 0.001). Reproductive output exhibited similar plasticity: F1 egg production declined under MH (p < 0.001), while egg size remained stable across treatments (p > 0.05), suggesting trait-specific buffering. Physiological responses were pronounced: hypoxia-exposed F1 showed significantly elevated haemoglobin levels (p < 0.05) alongside marginally reduced swim rates (p = 0.078). MH was shown to induce both intergenerational plasticity and trait stability, with physiological traits showing adaptive flexibility while key reproductive traits remain canalised. The environment-dependent recovery of F1 offspring highlights how transgenerational effects may serve as ecological insurance against fluctuating oxygen conditions, providing critical insights for predicting species resilience in rapidly changing aquatic ecosystems.

Publication Date

2025-12

Publication Title

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Volume

18

Issue

2

ISSN

1754-2383

Deposit Date

2025-12

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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