Offspring tolerance to toxic Microcystis aeruginosa in Daphnia pulex shaped by maternal food availability and age

Maternal effects are often adaptive for organisms experiencing rapid environmental changes. Maternal food limitation triggered Daphnia pulex to produce fewer but larger neonates that were more tolerant to toxic Microcystis aeruginosa. Older females exhibited a similar maternal effect. Additionally, larger offspring from low-food or old D. pulex performed better in the absence of cyanobacteria. These results suggest that zooplankton maternal status shaped the tolerance of their offspring to toxic cyanobacteria.