DOI: 10.5061/dryad.f4qrfj6sg
title: Maternal effects in zooplankton consumers are not only mediated by direct but also by indirect effects of phosphorus limitation

description: Nutrient limitation of primary producers has repeatedly been shown to
 negatively affect consumers, directly through stoichiometric mismatch and
 indirectly via alterations in the producer’s biochemical quality or
 palatability. In this study, we assessed whether direct and indirect
 impacts of phosphorus-limitation on a planktonic consumer are transferred
 to the next generation via maternal effects and whether these effects
 reflect an anticipatory adaptive strategy. For this, we subjected cultures
 of the algivorous monogonont rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus to three food
 quality treatments, i.e. P-limited (LP), P-replete (HP) and P-enriched LP
 algae (i.e. algae with an LP-growth history but with molar C:P ratios
 equal to those of HP-algae).  After two generations, we subjected
 offspring of these cultures to each of the three food quality treatments
 and monitored life history traits. In addition, we tested starvation
 resistance. Our results showed very strong negative maternal effects of
 low P food on offspring performance. These negative effects prevailed
 irrespective of contemporary diets, suggesting transmissive and selfish
 maternal effects rather than anticipatory adaptive effects. The relative
 strength of direct and indirect maternal P-limitation effects varied among
 different traits. Adult body size was predominantly determined by direct
 effects of P-shortage in maternal as well as contemporary food (LP
 &lt; LP+P and LP+P = HP). In contrast, whereas egg size was negatively
 affected by direct effects of P-limitation in the maternal diet, a
 contemporary diet of LP and LP+P algae resulted in larger eggs than HP
 algae. Animals born from such larger eggs showed no higher growth rates,
 but they were more resistant to starvation, likely as the result of higher
 maternal allocation of energy rich molecules to the eggs. The present
 study shows that maternal food conditions represent an important factor
 that should be taken into account in studies of stoichiometric mismatch
 between producers and consumers.
description: <b>1, Algae
 stoichiometry</b> Food: food quality (three
 different qualities, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Rep: replicated measurements of
 each food quality (n=2) Chem: chemostat number
 (n=5) N ug: raw
 data of N content of measured algae for each chemostat (µg)
 C ug: raw data of C content
 of measured algae for each chemostat (µg) Filter volume: the volume of
 sample that has been measured (ml) C umol: C content converted into
 the unit of µmol P umol: P content converted into
 the unit of µmol N umol: N content converted into
 the unit of µmol C conc: C concentration of each
 measurement (µmol/L) P conc: P concentration of each
 measurement (µmol/L) N conc: N concentration of each
 measurement (µmol/L) CP: algal C:P ratio of each
 measurement CN:
 algal C:N ratio of each measurement NP: algal N:P ratio of each
 measurement   <b>2, Age at first
 egg production</b> Unit: experimental unit
 Chemid_cont: chemostat
 replication (n=4) for each contemporary food quality Chemo_mat: chemostat replication
 (n=4) for each maternal food quality Food: contemporary food
 quality (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Motherfood: Maternal food
 quality (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Egg1: age at first egg production
 (hour)   <b>3, Data of size
 related:</b> Unit: experimental unit
 Chemid_cont: chemostat
 replication (n=4) for each contemporary food quality Chemo_mat: chemostat replication
 (n=4) for each maternal food quality Food: contemporary food quality
 (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Motherfood: Maternal food quality
 (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Body length: body length of each
 measured rotifer individual (µm) Body width: body width of each
 measured rotifer individual (µm) Egg length: egg length of each
 measured rotifer individual (µm) Egg width: egg width of each
 measured rotifer individual (µm)   <b>4, Data of
 somatic growth:</b> Unit: experimental unit
 Chemid_cont: chemostat
 replication (n=4) for each contemporary food quality Chemo_mat: chemostat replication
 (n=4) for each maternal food quality Food: contemporary food quality
 (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Motherfood: Maternal food quality
 (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) bl: body length of each measured
 rotifer individual (µm) bw: body width of each measured
 rotifer individual (µm) el: egg length of each measured
 rotifer individual (µm) ew: egg width of each measured
 rotifer individual (µm) age: age at first egg production
 (hour)   <b>5, Data of
 starvation resistance:</b> Food: maternal food qualities
 (n=3, i.e. HP, LP+P, LP) Repch: chemostat replicates
 (n=5) Prep:
 individual replication (n=3) for each food chemostat Starvation: survival hours for
 each experimental individual under deprivedconditions, reflecting
 starvation resistance (hour)