A1 Journal article (refereed)
Acclimation capacity and rate change through life in the zooplankton Daphnia (2020)

Burton, T., Lakka, H.-K., & Einum, S. (2020). Acclimation capacity and rate change through life in the zooplankton Daphnia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B : Biological Sciences, 287(1924), Article 20200189. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0189

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Burton, Tim; Lakka, Hanna-Kaisa; Einum, Sigurd

Journal or series: Proceedings of the Royal Society B : Biological Sciences

ISSN: 0962-8452

eISSN: 1471-2954

Publication year: 2020

Volume: 287

Issue number: 1924

Article number: 20200189

Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0189

Research data link: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.95x69p8g8

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/68429

Abstract

When a change in the environment occurs, organisms can maintain an optimal phenotypic state via plastic, reversible changes to their phenotypes. These adjustments, when occurring within a generation, are described as the process of acclimation. While acclimation has been studied for more than half a century, global environmental change has stimulated renewed interest in quantifying variation in the rate and capacity with which this process occurs, particularly among ectothermic organisms. Yet, despite the likely ecological importance of acclimation capacity and rate, how these traits change throughout life among members of the same species is largely unstudied. Here we investigate these relationships by measuring the acute heat tolerance of the clonally reproducing zooplankter Daphnia magna of different size/age and acclimation status. The heat tolerance of individuals completely acclimated to relatively warm (28°C) or cool (17°C) temperatures diverged during development, indicating that older, larger individuals had a greater capacity to increase heat tolerance. However, when cool acclimated individuals were briefly exposed to the warm temperature (i.e. were ‘heat-hardened'), it was younger, smaller animals with less capacity to acclimate that were able to do so more rapidly because they obtained or came closer to obtaining complete acclimation of heat tolerance. Our results illustrate that within a species, individuals can differ substantially in how rapidly and by how much they can respond to environmental change. We urge greater investigation of the intraspecific relationship between acclimation and development along with further consideration of the factors that might contribute to these enigmatic patterns of phenotypic variation.

Keywords: environmental changes; adaptation (change); acclimation; heat resistance; phenotype; Cladocera

Free keywords: body size; heat tolerance; thermal tolerance; allometry; reversible plasticity

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2020

JUFO rating: 3