Resource availability and predator cues shape within- and transgenerational reaction norms.
- 1Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, LEHNA, UMR 5023 , Villeurbanne, France.
- 2School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University , Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 3Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) , Paris, France.
Abstract
The main dilemma facing prey is how to reduce predation risk while acquiring resources. Phenotypic plasticity, by modulating traits for acquiring resources and for defences, is a key process driving this trade-off. While there is ample evidence that predator-induced within-generational plasticity depends on resources, the relationship between resources and predator-induced transgenerational plasticity (TGP) remains understudied. This study investigated how predator exposure and resource availability influence within-generational plasticity and TGP. We based our predictions on theories related to information- and state-based plasticity, two kinds of plasticity occurring in response to environmental information or alteration affecting somatic state, respectively. We conducted a two-generation laboratory experiment in the freshwater snail Physa acuta, manipulating predator cues and resource availability. Our results revealed that both types of plasticity participate in shaping the within- and transgenerational responses. Within a generation, the limited resource decreased the somatic state but did not constrain the defences. Across generations, the poor parental state decreased the offspring state even in high-resource conditions, which in turn decreased the absolute levels of their defences but increased their investment in reproduction. These results highlight the importance of integrating informational and state-based effects across generations to provide a more complete understanding of prey responses to predators.
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BibTeX
@article{dejeux2026resource,
title = {{Resource availability and predator cues shape within- and transgenerational reaction norms.}},
author = {Léo Dejeux and Juliette Tariel-Adam and Sandrine Plénet and Emilien Luquet},
journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1098/rspb.2026.1969},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901526},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Resource availability and predator cues shape within- and transgenerational reaction norms.
AU - Léo Dejeux
AU - Juliette Tariel-Adam
AU - Sandrine Plénet
AU - Emilien Luquet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Proceedings. Biological sciences
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2026.1969
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42901526
AB - The main dilemma facing prey is how to reduce predation risk while acquiring resources. Phenotypic plasticity, by modulating traits for acquiring resources and for defences, is a key process driving this trade-off. While there is ample evidence that predator-induced within-generational plasticity depends on resources, the relationship between resources and predator-induced transgenerational plasticity (TGP) remains understudied. This study investigated how predator exposure and resource availability influence within-generational plasticity and TGP. We based our predictions on theories related to information- and state-based plasticity, two kinds of plasticity occurring in response to environmental information or alteration affecting somatic state, respectively. We conducted a two-generation laboratory experiment in the freshwater snail Physa acuta, manipulating predator cues and resource availability. Our results revealed that both types of plasticity participate in shaping the within- and transgenerational responses. Within a generation, the limited resource decreased the somatic state but did not constrain the defences. Across generations, the poor parental state decreased the offspring state even in high-resource conditions, which in turn decreased the absolute levels of their defences but increased their investment in reproduction. These results highlight the importance of integrating informational and state-based effects across generations to provide a more complete understanding of prey responses to predators.
SN - 0962-8452
SN - 1471-2954
ER -