10.5061/DRYAD.MN40K
Dupoué, Andréaz
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
Brischoux, François
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
Angelier, Frédéric
Arizona State University
DeNardo, Dale F.
Arizona State University
Wright, Christian D.
Arizona State University
Lourdais, Olivier
Arizona State University
Data from: Intergenerational trade-off for water may induce a
mother-offspring conflict in favour of embryos in a viviparous snake
Dryad
dataset
2015
parent-offspring conflict
reproductive mode
aspic viper
Pregnancy
Vipera aspis
dehydration
2015-08-31T00:00:00Z
2015-08-31T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12349
23905 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Parent-offspring conflicts are likely to occur when resources are limiting
either at pre- or postnatal stages due to intergenerational trade-offs
over resources. Current theory posits that such conflicts may influence
the evolution of parental allocation as well as reproductive modes. While
energy allocation to the offspring has received considerable attention,
the distribution of water – another potentially limited vital resource to
both the mother and offspring – and the resulting outcomes remain grossly
understudied. Here, we explored the intergenerational trade-off related to
water resources in the viviparous aspic viper (Vipera aspis) by examining
the effects of water deprivation on female physiology (body mass,
haematocrit, and osmolality), water transfer to developing embryos, and
reproductive performance. As a result of water deprivation, females became
dehydrated, with the effects more pronounced in pregnant compared to
non-reproductive females. Among pregnant females, the impacts of water
deprivation on water balance were correlated with fecundity. In contrast,
water deprivation had no effect on water transfer to the offspring or on
reproductive performance. Our results demonstrate that, under
water-constraining conditions, female water balance is compromised in
favour of the developing embryos, highlighting a significant
intergenerational trade-off for water. Although ectothermic reptiles are
particularly tolerant in water balance perturbations, our results suggest
that, like energy, water can be a conflicting resource between mother and
offspring. Parent-offspring conflict over water should therefore be
further investigated to better understand reproductive modes and
reproductive trade-offs in terrestrial organisms.
Female physiology and reproductive performance datasheetFile containing
measurements of female physiology and reproductive performanceFemale
physiology and reproductive performance.txtNeonate morphologyFile
containing measurements of neonate morphologyneonate morphology.txt