Monteforte Stefano, Cattelan Silvia, Morosinotto Chiara, Pilastro Andrea, Grapputo Alessandro
Department of Biology University of Padova Padova Italy.
Bioeconomy Research Team Novia University of Applied Sciences Ekenäs Finland.
Ecol Evol. 2020 Jan 28;10(4):2030-2039. doi: 10.1002/ece3.6035. eCollection 2020 Feb.
The perception of predation risk could affect prey phenotype both within and between generations (via parental effects). The response to predation risk could involve modifications in physiology, morphology, and behavior and can ultimately affect long-term fitness. Among the possible modifications mediated by the exposure to predation risk, telomere length could be a proxy for investigating the response to predation risk both within and between generations, as telomeres can be significantly affected by environmental stress. Maternal exposure to the perception of predation risk can affect a variety of offspring traits but the effect on offspring telomere length has never been experimentally tested. Using a live-bearing fish, the guppy (), we tested if the perceived risk of predation could affect the telomere length of adult females directly and that of their offspring with a balanced experimental setup that allowed us to control for both maternal and paternal contribution. We exposed female guppies to the perception of predation risk during gestation using a combination of both visual and chemical cues and we then measured female telomere length after the exposure period. Maternal effects mediated by the exposure to predation risk were measured on offspring telomere length and body size at birth. Contrary to our predictions, we did not find a significant effect of predation-exposure neither on female nor on offspring telomere length, but females exposed to predation risk produced smaller offspring at birth. We discuss the possible explanations for our findings and advocate for further research on telomere dynamics in ectotherms.
对捕食风险的感知可能会在代内和代际之间（通过亲代效应）影响猎物的表型。对捕食风险的反应可能涉及生理、形态和行为的改变，并最终影响长期适应性。在由暴露于捕食风险所介导的可能改变中，端粒长度可以作为研究代内和代际对捕食风险反应的一个指标，因为端粒会受到环境压力的显著影响。母体暴露于捕食风险的感知会影响多种后代性状，但对后代端粒长度的影响从未经过实验检验。我们使用一种卵胎生鱼类孔雀鱼，通过一个平衡的实验设置来测试捕食风险的感知是否会直接影响成年雌性及其后代的端粒长度，该设置使我们能够控制母体和父体的贡献。我们在妊娠期使用视觉和化学线索的组合，使雌性孔雀鱼暴露于捕食风险的感知中，然后在暴露期后测量雌性的端粒长度。在后代的端粒长度和出生时的体型上测量由暴露于捕食风险所介导的母体效应。与我们的预测相反，我们没有发现捕食暴露对雌性或后代端粒长度有显著影响，但暴露于捕食风险的雌性在出生时产生的后代体型较小。我们讨论了我们研究结果的可能解释，并主张对外温动物的端粒动态进行进一步研究。
