Evolutionary consequences of pesticide exposure include transgenerational plasticity and potential terminal investment transgenerational effects

Transgenerational plasticity, the influence of the environment experienced
by parents on the phenotype and fitness of subsequent generations, is
being increasingly recognised. Human-altered environments, such as those
resulting from the increasing use of pesticides, may be major drivers of
such cross-generational influences, which in turn may have profound
evolutionary and ecological repercussions. Most of these consequences are,
however, unknown. Whether transgenerational plasticity elicited by
pesticide exposure is common, and the consequences of its potential
carry-over effects on fitness and population dynamics remains to be
determined. Here we investigate whether exposure of parents to a common
pesticide elicits intra-, inter- and transgenerational responses (in F0,
F1 and F2 generations) in life-history (fecundity, longevity, and lifetime
reproductive success-LRS-), in an insect model system, the seed beetle
Callosobruchus maculatus. We also assessed sex-specificity of the effects.
We found sex-specific and hormetic intergenerational and transgenerational
effects on longevity and lifetime reproductive success, manifested both in
the form of maternal and paternal effects. In addition, the
transgenerational effects via mothers detected in this study are
consistent with a new concept: terminal investment transgenerational
effects. Such effects could underlie cross-generational responses to
environmental perturbation. Our results indicate that pesticide exposure
leads to unanticipated effects on population dynamics and have
far-reaching ecological and evolutionary implications.