TY - JOUR TI - Adaptive thermal plasticity enhances sperm and egg performance in a model insect AU - Vasudeva, Ramakrishnan AU - Sutter, Andreas AU - Sales, Kris AU - Dickinson, Matthew E AU - Lumley, Alyson J AU - Gage, Matthew JG A2 - Donoso, David A2 - Wittkopp, Patricia J A2 - Gemmell, Neil J A2 - Pizzari, Tom VL - 8 PY - 2019 DA - 2019/10/01 SP - e49452 C1 - eLife 2019;8:e49452 DO - 10.7554/eLife.49452 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.49452 AB - Rising and more variable global temperatures pose a challenge for biodiversity, with reproduction and fertility being especially sensitive to heat. Here, we assessed the potential for thermal adaptation in sperm and egg function using Tribolium flour beetles, a warm-temperate-tropical insect model. Following temperature increases through adult development, we found opposing gamete responses, with males producing shorter sperm and females laying larger eggs. Importantly, this gamete phenotypic plasticity was adaptive: thermal translocation experiments showed that both sperm and eggs produced in warmer conditions had superior reproductive performance in warmer environments, and vice versa for cooler production conditions and reproductive environments. In warmer environments, gamete plasticity enabled males to double their reproductive success, and females could increase offspring production by one-third. Our results reveal exciting potential for sensitive but vital traits within reproduction to handle increasing and more variable thermal regimes in the natural environment. KW - Tribolium KW - sperm KW - ovum KW - plasticity KW - reproduction KW - thermal JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -