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Dryad

Inverse Lansing effect: Maternal age and provisioning affecting daughters’ longevity and male offspring production

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Mar 24, 2022 version files 1.53 MB
May 16, 2022 version files 110.82 KB

Abstract

Maternal age effects on offspring life history are known in a variety of organisms, with offspring of older mothers typically having lower life expectancy (Lansing Effect). However there is no consensus on generality and mechanisms of this pattern. We tested predictions of Lansing Effect in several Daphnia magna clones and observed clone-specific magnitude and even direction of the maternal age effect on offspring longevity.  We also report ambidirectional, genotype-specific effects of maternal age on daughters' propensity to produce male offspring. Focusing on two clones with contrasting life-histories, we demonstrate that maternal age effects can be explained by lipid provisioning of embryos by mothers of different ages. Individuals from a single-generation maternal age reversal treatment showed intermediate lifespan and intermediate lipid content at birth. In the clone characterized by the “inverse Lansing Effect” neonates produced by older mothers showed higher mitochondrial membrane potential in neural tissues than their counterparts born to younger mothers. We conclude that an “inverse Lansing Effect” is possible, and hypothesize that it may be caused by age-specific maternal lipid provisioning creating a calorically restricted environment during embryonic development, which, in turn reduces fecundity and increases lifespan.