Larval diet alters larval growth rates and post-metamorphic performance in the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata.

• Main Authors: Pechenik, Jan A., Tyrell, Abigail S.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Tufts University. Tisch Library.
• Subjects: Larvae.; Phytoplankton.; Mollusks.; Tufts University. Department of Biology.; Dun; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://dl.tufts.edu/catalog/tufts:19591

Some larval experiences can produce "latent effects" on post-metamorphic growth or survival. While it is known that periods of starvation during larval development can cause such latent effects, the effect of larval diet on post-metamorphic growth has not been studied. As global climate change and ocean acidification are expected to decrease phytoplankton concentrations and alter both phytoplankton species composition and nutritional characteristics, we examined the impact of 3 phytoplankton species (Isochrysis galbana, clone T-ISO; Pavlova lutheri, clone MONO; and Dunaliella tertiolecta, clone DUN) on larval growth and subsequent post-metamorphic fitness in the slippersnail Crepidula fornicata. Once larvae metamorphosed, the juveniles were all reared on the diet that produced the fastest growth, T-ISO, to look for latent effects of larval diet on juvenile growth. In all experiments, larvae grew most quickly on T-ISO; diet did not affect relative rates of shell and tissue growth. In 2 of the 4 experiments conducted on the effects of diet quality, larvae reared on T-ISO metamorphosed into juveniles that grew significantly faster than those that had been raised on the other phytoplankton species, indicating clear latent effects of dietary experience and suggesting parent-related genetic variation in susceptibility to this type of stress. Rearing larvae at a very low food concentration of T-ISO (1 × 104 cells ml−1) until metamorphosis also produced severe latent effects on juvenile growth, reducing juvenile growth rates by more than 30 %. These data provide yet another example of how stresses experienced during larval development can influence post-metamorphic performance, and add another level of complexity to attempts at predicting the future consequences of environmental change on marine community structure and species interactions.