Dietary lipid quality mediates salt tolerance of a freshwater keystone herbivore

Salinization of freshwater ecosystems is a growing hazard for organisms and ecosystem functioning worldwide. In northern latitudes, road salt that is being transported into water bodies can cause year-round increases in lake salinity levels. Exploring the environmental factors driving the susceptibility of freshwater zooplankton to road salt is crucial for assessing the impact of salinization on food web processes. We studied the role of essential lipids, i.e., sterols and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), in mediating salt tolerance of the freshwater keystone herbivore Daphnia. Sterols and PUFAs are involved in regulating ion permeability of biological membranes and thus we hypothesized that the susceptibility to salt is affected by the dietary sterol and PUFA supply. Life history experiments revealed opposing effects of sterol and PUFA supplementation on salt tolerance, i.e., tolerance increased upon sterol supplementation but decreased upon PUFA supplementation, which is consistent with their proposed impact on membrane permeability. Our results suggest that the susceptibility of freshwater zooplankton to salinization strongly depends on the dietary lipid supply and thus the phytoplankton community composition. Hence, trophic state related differences in the phytoplankton community composition need to be considered when assessing the consequences of salinization for freshwater ecosystem functioning.