Diet restriction in parents shapes the lives of their offspring: a laboratory study using a predatory mite (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract

Environmental influences experienced by organisms are known to influence the phenotype of offspring through transgenerational plasticity or parental effects, and recent studies have revealed the significance of diet stress experienced by parents in shaping the life course of their progeny. In this laboratory study using a predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, we investigated the influence of parental diet restriction on offspring life history traits. We found that parental mites exposed to food reductions of 50% (Low diet) during both immature development and adult stages produced F1 offspring with reduced survival rates and fecundity compared to those from parents on abundant (High) diets. Sexually dimorphic responses emerged in response to parental diet restriction, whereby a reduced diet led to extended developmental periods for both male and female offspring while simultaneously reducing male size at maturity and increasing female size at maturity. We also found that diet restriction experienced by F0 individuals at both immature and adult stages manifested as reduced egg volumes and a less female-biased sex ratio in the F1’s offspring (i.e. the F2). There were additional significant interactions between the dietary history of parents and the dietary experiences of P. persimilis offspring themselves on various traits, including post-oviposition period, fecundity, and individual egg volume. These findings suggest that the dietary experiences of parents can modulate their offspring’s response when facing diet restriction. This study provided insights into non-genetic inheritance and transgenerational plasticity, highlighting the intricate interplay between environmental stressors and phenotypic responses.