Larval diet alters larval growth rates and post-metamorphic performance in the marine gastropod Crepidula fornicata

Abstract

Some larval experiences can produce "latent effects" on post-metamorphic growth or survival. While it is known that periods of starvation during larval devel- opment can cause such latent effects, the effect of larval diet on post-metamorphic growth has not been studied. As global climate change and ocean acidification are expected to decrease phytoplankton concentrations and alter both phytoplankton species composition and nutritional char- acteristics, we examined the impact of 3 phytoplankton species (Isochrysis galbana, clone T-ISO; Pavlova lutheri, clone MONO; and Dunaliella tertiolecta, clone DUN) on larval growth and subsequent post-metamorphic fitness in the slippersnail Crepidula fornicata. Once larvae metamor- phosed, the juveniles were all reared on the diet that pro- duced the fastest growth, T-ISO, to look for latent effects of larval diet on juvenile growth. In all experiments, larvae grew most quickly on T-ISO; diet did not affect relative rates of shell and tissue growth. In 2 of the 4 experiments conducted on the effects of diet quality, larvae reared on T-ISO metamorphosed into juveniles that grew significantly faster than those that had been raised on the other phyto- plankton species, indicating clear latent effects of dietary experience and suggesting parent-related genetic variation in susceptibility to this type of stress. Rearing larvae at a