Life stage dependent responses to desiccation risk in the annual killifish Nothobranchius wattersi |
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| Authors: | A F Grégoir C Philippe T Pinceel J Reniers E S J Thoré B Vanschoenwinkel L Brendonck |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium;2. Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium;3. Department of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium;4. Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, South Africa;5. Research Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom Campus, North‐West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | To assess whether the annual killifish Nothobranchius wattersi responds plastically to a desiccation risk and whether this response is life stage dependent, life‐history traits such as maturation time, fecundity and life span were experimentally measured in N. wattersi that were subjected to a drop in water level either as juveniles, as adults or both as juveniles and adults. Fish that were exposed to simulated pool drying as juveniles did not show changes in reproductive output or life span. Adults reacted by doubling short term egg deposition at the cost of a shorter lifespan. Overall, these results suggest that annual fish species can use phenotypic plasticity to maximize their reproductive output when faced with early pond drying, but this response appears to be life‐stage specific. In addition to frogs and aquatic insects, phenotypic plasticity induced by forthcoming drought is now also confirmed in annual fishes and could well be a common feature of the limited number of fish taxa that manage to survive in this extreme environment. |
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| Keywords: | desiccation life history Nothobranchius phenotypic plasticity pool drying |
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