It is well established that environmental signals can induce phenotypic responses that persist for multiple generations. The induction of such ‘transgenerational plasticity’ (TGP) depends upon the ability of organisms to accurately receive and process information from environmental signals. Thus, sensory systems are likely intertwined with TGP. Here we tested the link between an environmental stressor and transgenerational responses in a component of the sensory system (eye size) that is linked to enhanced vision and ecologically relevant behaviours. We reared 45 clones of Daphnia pulicaria in the presence and absence of a low-quality resource (cyanobacteria) and evaluated shifts in relative eye size in offspring. Our results revealed divergent shifts in relative eye size within- and across-generations. Parental Daphnia that were fed cyanobacteria produced a smaller eye than Daphnia fed high-quality algae. Such differences were then reversed in the offspring generation; Daphnia whose mothers were fed cyanobacteria produced larger eyes than Daphnia that were continually fed green algae. We discuss the extent to which this maternal effect on eye size is an adaptive response linked to improved foraging.

众所周知，环境信号可以诱导持续多代的表型反应。这种“跨代可塑性”（TGP）的​​诱导取决于生物体准确接收和处理来自环境信号的信息的能力。因此，感觉系统可能与 TGP 交织在一起。在这里，我们测试了与增强视力和生态相关行为相关的感觉系统组件（眼睛大小）中环境压力​​源与跨代反应之间的联系。我们培育了 45 个水蚤克隆在存在和不存在低质量资源（蓝藻）的情况下，并评估了后代相对眼睛大小的变化。我们的研究结果揭示了代内和代际之间相对眼睛大小的不同变化。喂食蓝藻的亲代水蚤产生的眼睛比喂食优质藻类的水蚤小。然后，这种差异在后代中被逆转；母亲喂食蓝藻的水蚤比持续喂食绿藻的水蚤产生更大的眼睛。我们讨论了母体对眼睛大小的影响在多大程度上是与改善觅食相关的适应性反应。