UTEP Bioinformatics Data Repository
| Title: | Local adaptation? Enhanced fitness under regional UVB intensities in a rock pool bdelloid rotifer |
| Authors: | Baeza, M., Walsh, E.J. |
| Year: | 2025 |
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| Abstract: | Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can decrease lifespan and reduce fecundity in aquatic invertebrates, and those inhabiting shallow waters are often unable to avoid UVR damage. Bdelloid rotifers are known for their resistance to extreme environments and ionizing radiation. However, conflicting results have been reported regarding their response to UVR. We hypothesized that exposure to UVB radiation would negatively affect survival and other life history characteristics (i.e., lifespan, net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase) with increasing intensities and across multiple generations in bdelloids that inhabit shallow rock pools. To test these hypotheses, field-collected females (F0) were exposed to two environmentally relevant and one extreme level of UVB for 2 hours, and recovered individuals were retained. Their neonates (F1) were then cultured. Their offspring (F2, F4) were exposed to the same UVR treatment as the parental generation, and survival was again recorded. Lifetable analyses were conducted using offspring of exposed mothers in the F1 and F5 generations. As predicted, exposure to UVB radiation negatively affected survival and resulted in cumulative damage after each subsequent exposure to UVB at all intensities. However, maternal exposure to low UVB levels resulted in increased lifespan (117%) and R0 (235%) in their progeny. The shortened developmental time observed under mid UVB exposure may reflect an adaptive response to environmental stress, enabling faster reproduction. However, as UVR intensity increases, its adverse effects on longevity and fecundity may compromise population fitness |
| Keywords: | Chihuahuan Desert, ephemeral habitats, lifetable experiments, maternal effects, phenotypic plasticity, ultraviolet radiation |
The UTEP Bioinformatics Data Repository project is supported in part by NIH Grants #5G12RR008124 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)/NIH to BBRC. Its contents are solely the
responsibility of the authors.
