Tainted resurrection: metal pollution is linked with reduced hatching and high juvenile mortality in Daphnia egg banks

Many taxa, from plants to zooplankton, produce long‐lasting dormant propagules capable of temporal dispersal. In some cases, propagules can persist for decades or even centuries before emerging from seed and egg banks. Despite impressive longevity, relatively little is known about how the chemical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEcology (Durham) Vol. 96; no. 5; pp. 1166 - 1173
Main Author Rogalski, Mary A
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Ecological Society of America 01.05.2015
Subjects
adverse effects
Animals
bioaccumulation
Daphnia
Daphnia - drug effects
diapause
dormancy
eggs
Geologic Sediments - chemistry
hatching
juveniles
lakes
longevity
metals
Metals - toxicity
mortality
Ovum - drug effects
Principal Component Analysis
Regression Analysis
sediment contamination
sediment deposition
sediments
Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
Water Pollution, Chemical
zooplankton
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Summary:Many taxa, from plants to zooplankton, produce long‐lasting dormant propagules capable of temporal dispersal. In some cases, propagules can persist for decades or even centuries before emerging from seed and egg banks. Despite impressive longevity, relatively little is known about how the chemical environment experienced before or during dormancy affects the fate and performance of individuals. This study examines the hatching rate and developmental success of Daphnia hatched from diapausing eggs isolated from sediments from four lakes that experienced varying levels of metal contamination. Two hundred seventy‐three animals were hatched from lake sediments deposited over the past century. Hatching rate was negatively influenced by metal contamination and sediment age. There was a robust positive relationship between sediment metal concentrations and juvenile mortality in Daphnia hatching from those sediments. The negative effect of metals on Daphnia hatching and juvenile survival may stem from metal bioaccumulation, genetic effects, or reduced maternal investment in diapausing embryos. Regardless of the specific mechanism driving this trend, exposure to metals may impose strong selection on Daphnia diapausing egg banks.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/14-1663.1
ISSN:0012-9658
1939-9170
DOI:10.1890/14-1663.1