title: Interaction of temperature and an environmental stressor: Moina macrocopa responds with increased body size, increased lifespan, and increased offspring numbers slightly above its temperature optimum.
abstract: For organisms, temperature is one of the most important environmental factors and gains increasing importance due to global warming, since increasing temperatures may pose organisms close to their environmental tolerance limits and, thus, they may become more vulnerable to environmental stressors. We analyzed the temperature-dependence of the water-soluble antioxidant capacity of the cladoceran Moina macrocopa and evaluated its life trait variables with temperature (15, 20, 25, 30°C) and humic substance (HS) concentrations (0, 0.18, 0.36, 0.90, 1.79 mM DOC) as stressors. Temperatures below and above the apparent optimum (20°C) reduced the antioxidative capacity. Additions of HSs increased body length, but decreased mean lifespan at 15 and 20°C. There was no clear HS-effect on offspring numbers at 15, 20, and 30°C. At 25°C with increasing HS-concentration, lifespan was extended and offspring numbers increased tremendously, reaching 250% of the control. Although the applied HS preparation possesses estrogenic and antiandrogenic activities, a xenohormone mechanism does not seem plausible for the reproductive increase, because comparable effects did not occur at other temperatures. A more convincing explanation appears to be the mitohormesis hypothesis which states that a certain increase of reactive oxygen production leads to improved health and longevity and, with Moina, also to increased offspring numbers. Our results suggest that at least with the eurythermic M. macrocopa, a temperature above the optimum can be beneficial for several life trait variables, even when combined with a chemical stressor. Temperatures approximately 10°C above its optimum appear to adversely affect the lifespan and reproduction of M. macrocopa. This indicates that this cladoceran species seems to be able to utilize temperature as an ecological resource in a range slightly above its thermal optimum.
authors.affiliation: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Freshwater and Stress Ecology, Arboretum, 12437 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Antonia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engert
authors.forename: Shumon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saul
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bittner
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Menzel
authors.forename: Christian E W
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Steinberg
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D033361:Cladocera / Q000502:physiology*; D057232:Global Warming; D006812:Humic Substances; D008136:Longevity; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D006812:Humic Substances