The jury is still out regarding the generality of adaptive ‘transgenerational’ effects

A recent meta‐analysis concluded, ‘transgenerational effects are widespread, strong and persistent’. We identify biases in the literature search, data and analyses, questioning that conclusion. Re‐analyses indicate few studies actually tested transgenerational effects – making it challenging to dise...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology letters 2020-11, Vol.23 (11), p.1715-1718
Main Authors: Sánchez‐Tójar, Alfredo, Lagisz, Malgorzata, Moran, Nicholas P., Nakagawa, Shinichi, Noble, Daniel W. A., Reinhold, Klaus, Munch, Stephan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anticipatory effects
carry‐over effects
condition‐transfer effects
Data search
intergenerational effects
maternal effects
parental effects
parental programming
paternal effects
transgenerational plasticity
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Summary:A recent meta‐analysis concluded, ‘transgenerational effects are widespread, strong and persistent’. We identify biases in the literature search, data and analyses, questioning that conclusion. Re‐analyses indicate few studies actually tested transgenerational effects – making it challenging to disentangle condition‐transfer from anticipatory parental effects, and providing little insight into the underlying mechanisms. A recent meta‐analysis concluded, ‘transgenerational effects are widespread, strong and persistent’. We identify biases in the literature search, data and analyses, questioning that conclusion. Re‐analyses indicate few studies actually tested transgenerational effects – making it challenging to disentangle condition‐transfer from anticipatory parental effects, and providing little insight into the underlying mechanisms.
ISSN:1461-023X
1461-0248
DOI:10.1111/ele.13479