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Review
. 2014 Nov 4:6:99.
doi: 10.12703/P6-99. eCollection 2014.

Transgenerational acclimation of fishes to climate change and ocean acidification

Philip L Munday  1
Affiliations
Review

Transgenerational acclimation of fishes to climate change and ocean acidification

Philip L Munday. F1000Prime Rep. .

Abstract

There is growing concern about the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on marine organisms and ecosystems, yet the potential for acclimation and adaptation to these threats is poorly understood. Whereas many short-term experiments report negative biological effects of ocean warming and acidification, new studies show that some marine species have the capacity to acclimate to warmer and more acidic environments across generations. Consequently, transgenerational plasticity may be a powerful mechanism by which populations of some species will be able to adjust to projected climate change. Here, I review recent advances in understanding transgenerational acclimation in fishes. Research over the past 2 to 3 years shows that transgenerational acclimation can partially or fully ameliorate negative effects of warming, acidification, and hypoxia in a range of different species. The molecular and cellular pathways underpinning transgenerational acclimation are currently unknown, but modern genetic methods provide the tools to explore these mechanisms. Despite the potential benefits of transgenerational acclimation, there could be limitations to the phenotypic traits that respond transgenerationally, and trade-offs between life stages, that need to be investigated. Future studies should also test the potential interactions between transgenerational plasticity and genetic evolution to determine how these two processes will shape adaptive responses to environmental change over coming decades.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Parents influence the phenotype of their offspring through both genetic and non-genetic pathways
The environment experienced by parents can influence the phenotype of their offspring through a variety of non-genetic mechanisms. For fishes, such mechanisms include nutritional provisioning of eggs, transfer of hormones or proteins to eggs, or epigenetic marks from either the mother or father. For demersal-spawning fishes, parental egg care could also potentially influence offspring phenotypes. Transgenerational acclimation occurs when the performance of offspring in a particular environment is improved when parents have experienced the same environment.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Transgenerational acclimation of aerobic scope in the spiny damselfish Acanthochromis polyacanthus
Absolute aerobic scope (the capacity for oxygen uptake above resting metabolic rate) of damselfish was tested at three temperatures (28.5°C, 30.0°C, and 31.5°C) for juveniles that had been reared at 28.5°C (control 28.5°C), 30.0°C (developmental 30.0°C), or 31.5°C (developmental 31.5°C) and in fish reared at 30.0°C or 31.5°C whose parents were also raised at 30.0°C or 31.5°C (transgenerational 30.0°C and transgenerational 31.5°C, respectively). Aerobic scope declined sharply at 30.0°C and 31.5°C compared with 28.5°C in control 28.5°C, developmental 30.0°C, and developmental 31.5°C groups. However, aerobic scope at elevated temperatures was fully restored to control levels in the transgenerational 30.0°C and 31.5°C groups. Rearing temperatures refer to the maximum summer rearing temperatures in the experiment. Figure modified from Donelson and colleagues [22]. Photo courtesy of Joao Krajewski.
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