Parental effects improve escape performance of juvenile reef fish in a high-CO 2 world

Abstract

Rising CO 2 levels in the oceans are predicted to have serious consequences for many marine taxa. Recent studies suggest that non-genetic parental effects may reduce the impact of high CO 2 on the growth, survival and routine metabolic rate of marine fishes, but whether the parental environment mitigates behavioural and sensory impairment associated with high CO 2 remains unknown. Here, we tested the acute effects of elevated CO 2 on the escape responses of juvenile fish and whether such effects were altered by exposure of parents to increased CO 2 (transgenerational acclimation). Elevated CO 2 negatively affected the reactivity and locomotor performance of juvenile fish, but parental exposure to high CO 2 reduced the effects in some traits, indicating the potential for acclimation of behavioural impairment across generations. However, acclimation was not complete in some traits, and absent in others, suggesting that transgenerational acclimation does not completely compensate the effects of high CO 2 on escape responses.