Transgenerational plasticity mitigates the impact of global warming to offspring sex ratios |
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| Authors: | Jennifer M Donelson Philip L Munday |
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| Institution: | 1. Centre for Environmental Sustainability, School of the Environment, University of Technology, Broadway, NSW, Australia;2. College of Marine and Environmental Science, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia;3. ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Global warming poses a threat to organisms with temperature‐dependent sex determination because it can affect operational sex ratios. Using a multigenerational experiment with a marine fish, we provide the first evidence that parents developing from early life at elevated temperatures can adjust their offspring gender through nongenetic and nonbehavioural means. However, this adjustment was not possible when parents reproduced, but did not develop, at elevated temperatures. Complete restoration of the offspring sex ratio occurred when parents developed at 1.5 °C above the present‐day average temperature for one generation. However, only partial improvement in the sex ratio occurred at 3.0 °C above average conditions, even after two generations, suggesting a limitation to transgenerational plasticity when developmental temperature is substantially increased. This study highlights the potential for transgenerational plasticity to ameliorate some impacts of climate change and that development from early life may be essential for expression of transgenerational plasticity in some traits. |
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| Keywords: | acclimation climate change global warming operational sex ratio plasticity temperature sex determination |
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