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Genetic variation for maternal effects on parasite susceptibility.
1Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Ashworth Laboratories, Edinburgh, UK. Martin.Stjernman@zooekol.lu.se
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|August 19, 2011
Summary
Maternal diet significantly influences offspring disease resistance in Daphnia magna, with low food increasing resistance but varying by host genetics. This impacts both host and parasite fitness, affecting host-parasite evolution.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Maternal effects, environmental influences on offspring, impact disease resistance independently of genetics.
- Understanding maternal effects is crucial for predicting host-parasite dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how maternal food availability affects Daphnia magna resistance to the bacterial parasite Pasteuria ramosa.
- To disentangle maternal effects from host genetic background by examining 24 Daphnia genotypes.
Main Methods:
- Exposing Daphnia magna mothers to either high or low food conditions.
- Challenging their offspring with Pasteuria ramosa across 24 host genotypes.
- Assessing offspring resistance and parasite load.
Main Results:
- Low maternal food availability enhanced offspring resistance to P. ramosa.
- This maternal effect showed significant genotype-by-environment interactions.
- Maternal effects influenced parasite establishment and growth, impacting host and parasite fitness.
Conclusions:
- Maternal nutritional stress can profoundly alter offspring susceptibility to infection.
- Genotype-by-environment interactions are key in mediating maternal effects on host-parasite systems.
- These findings highlight the role of maternal effects in host-parasite coevolution.
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