ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY AND PLASTIC MORPHOLOGICAL DEFENSES IN DAPHNIA LUMHOLTZI

Abstract

Understanding the plasticity of morphological defenses in Daphnia lumholtzi in response to predator chemical cues is crucial for interpreting the adaptive strategies of this organism and its role as a model for studying transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. This study focuses on the sensitivity of embryos reared in the mother's brood chamber and examines how morphological defense plasticity is controlled by inheritance through epigenetic mechanisms or induced by environmental cues during embryonic development. Our research demonstrates novel findings in which predation responses occur due to environmental signaling across variable times in embryonic development indicating a robust and flexible response mechanism to environmental stressors. Interestingly, our research also found no innate ability of developing embryos to respond to the same environmental signals during in-vitro rearing. By exploring these mechanisms, our study contributes to a deeper understanding of how predator cues influence morphological defenses across generations in Daphnia lumholtzi. Further investigation is needed to unravel the molecular pathways involved and to confirm these preliminary findings, paving the way for more comprehensive studies on the epigenetic regulation of adaptive traits.