Data from: Brain plasticity over the metamorphic boundary: carry-over effect of larval environment on froglet brain development

Brain development shows high plasticity in response to environmental heterogeneity. However, it is unknown how environmental variation during development may affect brain architecture across life history switch points in species with complex life cycles. Previously, we showed that predation and competition affect brain development in common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles. Here, we studied if larval environment had carry-over effects in brains of metamorphs. Tadpoles grown at high density had large optic tecta at metamorphosis, while tadpoles grown under predation risk had small diencephala. We found that larval density had a carry-over effect on froglet optic tectum size, while the effect of larval predation risk had vanished by metamorphosis. We discuss the possibility that the observed changes may be adaptive, reflecting the needs of an organism in given environmental and developmental contexts.

大脑发育对环境异质性表现出极高的可塑性。然而，对于具有复杂生活史的物种而言，发育过程中的环境变化如何通过其生活史转换节点影响大脑结构，目前尚不清楚。此前我们的研究已证实，捕食压力与种间竞争会影响普通林蛙（Rana temporaria）蝌蚪的大脑发育。本研究旨在探讨幼虫期环境是否会对变态个体的大脑产生遗留效应（carry-over effect）。高密度环境下培育的蝌蚪在变态完成时视顶盖（optic tectum）体积更大，而处于捕食风险环境中的蝌蚪则拥有更小的间脑（diencephalon）。我们发现，幼虫期的种群密度对幼蛙视顶盖体积的遗留效应依然存在，但幼虫期捕食风险的影响在变态完成时已消失。我们进一步探讨了本次观测到的大脑结构变化具有适应性的可能性，这类变化实则反映了生物体在特定环境与发育背景下的生存需求。