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...