Dataset for: Delayed effects and complex life cycles: How the larval aquatic environment influences terrestrial performance and survival

Species with complex life cycles are susceptible to environmental stressors across life stages, but the carryover and latent effects between stages remain understudied. For species with biphasic life histories, such as pond-breeding amphibians, delayed effects of aquatic conditions can influence terrestrial juveniles and adults directly or indirectly, usually mediated through fitness correlates such as body size. We collected adult southern toads (Anaxyrus terrestris) from two source populations – a natural reference wetland and a metal-contaminated industrial wetland – and exposed their offspring to two aquatic stressors – a metal contaminant, copper (Cu), and a dragonfly predator cue – in outdoor mesocosms (n = 24). We then reared metamorphs in terraria for five months to examine delayed effects of early life stage environmental conditions on juvenile performance, growth, and survival. Larval exposure to Cu, as well as having parents from a contaminated wetland, resulted in smaller size at metamorphosis – a response later negated by compensatory growth. Although Cu exposure and parental source did not affect larval survival, we observed latent effects of these stressors on juvenile survival, with elevated Cu conditions and metal-contaminated parents reducing post-metamorphic survival. Parental source and larval Cu exposure affected performance at metamorphosis through carryover effects on body size but, one month later, latent effects of parental source and larval predator exposure directly (i.e., not via body size) influenced performance. The carryover and latent effects of parental source population and aquatic Cu level on post-metamorphic survival and juvenile performance highlight the importance of conducting studies across life stages and generations.

具有复杂生活史的物种在各生活阶段均易受环境胁迫影响，但不同生活阶段间的遗留效应与潜在效应仍未得到充分研究。
对于具有双相生活史的类群（如池塘繁殖型两栖动物）而言，水生环境条件产生的滞后效应可直接或间接作用于陆生幼体与成体，此类效应通常通过体型等适合度相关性状介导。
我们从两个源种群中采集成年南方蟾蜍（Anaxyrus terrestris）：一个为自然参照湿地种群，另一个为受金属污染的工业湿地种群；随后将其子代置于室外中型实验生态系统（outdoor mesocosms，n=24）中，暴露于两种水生胁迫因子——金属污染物铜（Cu）与蜻蜓捕食者线索。
随后我们将变态幼体置于饲养箱中饲养五个月，以探究早期生活阶段环境条件对幼体表现、生长与存活的滞后效应。
幼体暴露于铜环境以及亲体来自污染湿地，均会导致变态时体型更小——这一响应后续会被补偿性生长抵消。
尽管铜暴露与亲体来源对幼体存活无显著影响，但我们观察到这两类胁迫因子对幼体存活存在潜在效应：高铜环境与来自污染湿地的亲体均会降低变态后存活率。
亲体来源与幼体铜暴露通过体型相关的遗留效应影响变态时的表现，但在变态一个月后，亲体来源与幼体捕食者暴露产生的潜在效应会直接（即不通过体型介导）影响幼体表现。
亲体源种群与水生铜浓度对变态后存活及幼体表现的遗留效应与潜在效应，凸显了开展跨生活阶段与跨世代研究的重要性。