Growth of eight Pacific abalone families at three temperatures

Growth rates, measured as shell length and body weight daily growth, were studied in the eight families of Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus hannai Ino, reared at 12, 16 and 20 ℃for 40 d respectively. The results show that J1Rh family grew the best at 12 ℃, with growth rates of (32.88±4.66) μm/d and (5.24±1.84) mg/d. C1Jm family had the highest growth rates of (58.00±2.00) μm/d and (9.71±1.21) mg/d at 16 ℃. J1Jm family ranked the first at 20 ℃, with growth rates of (66.00±1.76) μm/d and (10.99±0.34) mg/d. RjRh family had the slowest growth rates at all three temperatures. Shell length growth rates were 18.25, 33.00 and 43.13 μm/d respec- tively, while body weight growth rates were 2.47, 2.56 and 4.75 mg/d respectively. Both temperature and family had significant effect on growth rates (P< 0.05). At 16 and 20 ℃, maternal effects on growth rates were not significant (P> 0.05), but paternal effects on growth rates were significant (P< 0.05). Results of this study indicate genetic difference among the families and importance of select- ing male breeders in the commercial hatchery.

The importance of trans-generational effects in Lepidoptera

The importance of trans-generational effects in shaping an individuals＇ phenotype and fitness, and consequently even impacting population dynamics is increasingly apparent. Most of the research on trans-generational effects still focuses on plants, mammals, and birds. In the past few years, however, increasing number of studies, especially on maternal effects, have highlighted their im- portance also in many insect systems. Lepidoptera, specifically butterflies, have been used as model systems for studying the role of phenotypic plasticity within generations. As ectotherms, they are highly sensitive to environmental variation, and indeed many butterflies show adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental conditions. Here, we synthesize what is known about trans-generational effects in Lepidoptera, compile evidence for different environmental cues that are important drivers of trans-generational effects, and point out which offspring traits are mainly impacted. Finally, we emphasize directions for future research that are needed for better understanding of the adaptive nature of trans-generational effects in Lepidoptera in particular, but potentially also in other organisms.

Parental ecological history can differentially modulate parental age effects on offspring physiological traits in Drosophila

Parents adjust their reproductive investment over their lifespan based on their condition,age,and social environment,creating the potential for inter-generational effects to differentially affect offspring physiology.To date,however,little is known about how social environments experienced by parents throughout development and adulthood influence the effect of parental age on the expression of life-history traits in the offspring.Here,I collected data on Drosophila melanogaster offspring traits(i.e.,body weight,water content,and lipid reserves)from populations where either mothers,fathers both,or neither parents experienced different social environments during development(larval crowding)and adulthood.Parental treatment modulated parental age effects on offspring lipid reserves but did not influence parental age effects on offspring water content.Importantly,parents in social environments where all individuals were raised in uncrowded larval densities produced daughters and sons lighter than parental treatments which produced the heaviest offspring.The peak in offspring body weight was delayed relative to the peak in parental reproductive success,but more strongly so for daughters from parental treatments where some or all males in the parental social environments were raised in crowded larval densities(irrespective of their social context),suggesting a potential father-to-daughter effect.Overall,the findings of this study reveal that parental ecological history(here,developmental and adult social environments)can modulate the effects of parental age at reproduction on the expression of offspring traits.