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Early maternal experience shapes offspring performance in the wild
Tim Burton1, S McKelvey, D C Stewart
1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow G12 8QQ United Kingdom. t.burton.1@research.gla.ac.uk
Ecology
|May 22, 2013
Summary
Maternal legacies impact offspring fitness in wild Atlantic salmon. A mother's juvenile growth and adult reproductive investment influence offspring size and survival, revealing complex intergenerational effects.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Maternal environments influence offspring investment and fitness.
- The long-term effects of maternal juvenile and adult experiences on offspring in natural settings are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal juvenile growth rate and adult reproductive traits in wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).
- To determine how these maternal characteristics affect offspring growth and survival in a natural stream environment.
Main Methods:
- Adult female Atlantic salmon were captured during upstream migration.
- Experimental full-sib clutches were created and placed in artificial nests in a salmon-free stream.
- Offspring size and survival were assessed after four months.
Main Results:
- Mothers with slow juvenile growth, high reproductive investment, and poor adult body condition produced the largest eggs, leading to larger juveniles and higher survival.
- Offspring growth was positively linked to maternal juvenile growth rate and reproductive investment, independent of egg size.
- Maternal body condition influenced offspring survival differently based on the mother's own juvenile growth rate.
Conclusions:
- Maternal influences on offspring fitness are complex, involving both early-life history and the mother's condition at breeding.
- Early life performance and current reproductive investment by the mother significantly shape offspring success in wild populations.
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