Parental fasting effects on offspring in Syngnathus typhle

This study explores how intermittent fasting (IF) in both male and female broadnosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle), a species with male pregnancy, affects offspring phenotype, gene expression, and gut microbiota. By manipulating parental diets before and during pregnancy, we investigated how mismatched or aligned maternal and paternal nutritional cues influence offspring development. Our findings reveal sex-specific impacts of IF on parental condition, immune activation, and microbiome composition, with consequences for offspring health via both maternal provisioning and paternal priming. This work contributes to understanding how parental diet influences offspring in species with unconventional reproductive roles, offering insights into the evolutionary trade-offs between reproduction and somatic maintenance.