Global warming can disrupt reproduction or lead to fewer and poorer quality offspring, owing to the thermally sensitive nature of reproductive physiology. However, phenotypic plasticity may enable some animals to adjust the thermal sensitivity of reproduction to maintain performance in warmer conditions. Whether elevated temperature affects reproduction may depend on the timing of exposure to warming and the sex of the parent exposed. We exposed male and female coral reef damselfish (Acanthochromis polyacanthus) during development, reproduction or both life stages to an elevated temperature (+1.5°C) consistent with projected ocean warming and measured reproductive output and newly hatched offspring performance relative to pairs reared in a present‐day control temperature. We found female development in elevated temperature increased the probability of breeding, but reproduction ceased if warming continued to the reproductive stage, irrespective of the male's developmental experience. Females that developed in warmer conditions, but reproduced in control conditions, also produced larger eggs and hatchlings with greater yolk reserves. By contrast, male development or pairs reproducing in higher temperature produced fewer and poorer quality offspring. Such changes may be due to alterations in sex hormones or an endocrine stress response. In nature, this could mean female fish developing during a marine heatwave may have enhanced reproduction and produce higher quality offspring compared with females developing in a year of usual thermal conditions. However, male development during a heatwave would likely result in reduced reproductive output. Furthermore, the lack of reproduction from an average increase in temperature could lead to population decline. Our results demonstrate how the timing of exposure differentially influences females and males and how this translates to effects on reproduction and population sustainability in a warming world.

中文翻译：

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变暖对珊瑚礁鱼繁殖和后代质量的性别和时间特异性亲本影响


由于生殖生理学的热敏感性，全球变暖可能会扰乱生殖或导致后代数量减少且质量较差。然而，表型可塑性可能使一些动物能够调整繁殖的热敏感性，以保持在温暖条件下的性能。升高的温度是否会影响繁殖可能取决于暴露于变暖的时间和暴露的亲本的性别。我们将雄性和雌性珊瑚礁雀鲷（ Acanthochromis polyacanthus ）在发育、繁殖或两个生命阶段暴露在与预计的海洋变暖一致的高温（+1.5°C）下，并测量了相对于在珊瑚礁中饲养的成对的繁殖产量和新孵化的后代的表现。目前的控制温度。我们发现，雌性在高温下的发育增加了繁殖的可能性，但如果变暖持续到繁殖阶段，繁殖就会停止，无论雄性的发育经历如何。在较温暖的条件下发育但在对照条件下繁殖的雌性也会产生更大的卵和具有更多卵黄储备的幼体。相比之下，雄性发育或在较高温度下繁殖的后代数量较少且质量较差。这种变化可能是由于性激素的变化或内分泌应激反应所致。在自然界中，这可能意味着与在通常的热条件下发育的雌性鱼类相比，在海洋热浪期间发育的雌性鱼类可能会增强繁殖并产生更高质量的后代。然而，热浪期间的雄性发育可能会导致生殖产量减少。此外，平均气温升高导致繁殖不足可能导致种群数量下降。 我们的研究结果表明，暴露时间对女性和男性的影响有何不同，以及在变暖的世界中这如何转化为对生殖和人口可持续性的影响。