Disentangling population strategies of two cladocerans adapted to different ultraviolet regimes

TL;DR

This study compares two Daphnia pulex lineages from different UVR environments, revealing distinct reproductive strategies that compensate for UVR stress without increased physiological tolerance.

Contribution

It demonstrates that different populations adapt to UVR through reproductive strategies rather than physiological tolerance, highlighting population-specific responses.

Findings

HighUV lineage has higher fecundity despite UVR stress.

UVR negatively impacts most life-history traits in both lineages.

Early reproduction and high fertility compensate for UVR-induced fitness loss.

Abstract

Zooplankton have evolved several mechanisms to deal with environmental threats, such as ultraviolet radiation (UVR), and in order to identify strategies inherent to organisms exposed to different UVR environments, we here examine life-history traits of two lineages of Daphnia pulex. The lineages differed in the UVR dose they had received at their place of origin from extremely high UVR stress at high-altitude Bolivian lakes to low UVR stress near the sea level in temperate Sweden. Nine life-history variables of each lineage were analyzed in laboratory experiments in the presence and the absence of sub-lethal doses of UVR (UV-A band), and we identified trade-offs among variables through structural equation modeling (SEM). The UVR treatment was detrimental to almost all life-history variables of both lineages; however, the Daphnia historically exposed to higher doses of UVR (HighUV) showed a higher overall fecundity than those historically exposed to lower doses of UVR (LowUV). The total offspring and ephippia production, as well as the number of clutches and number of offspring at first reproduction, was directly affected by UVR in both lineages. Main differences between lineages involved indirect effects that affected offspring production as the age at first reproduction. We here show that organisms within the same species have developed different strategies as responses to UVR, although no increased physiological tolerance or plasticity was shown by the HighUV lineage. In addition to known tolerance strategies to UVR, including avoidance, prevention, or repairing of damages, we here propose a population strategy that includes early reproduction and high fertility, which we show compensated for the fitness loss imposed by UVR stress.