Maternal legacy: Unraveling the crucial role of the parental population against larval nutrition and its profound impact on developmental trajectories and morphological outcomes in Pseudechinus huttoni (Echinoidea: Temnopleuridae) larvae

This study examined the relative contribution of parental population and larval diet on development and larval characteristics in Pseudechinus huttoni. We further investigated the effects of parental population on egg traits. Two populations of sea urchins were selected—shallow and deep—with a known difference in nutritional history, where the deep population showed poor nutritional condition and lower egg size. However, eggs from both populations had the same nutritional content. However, larvae from the lower-nutrition population were more advanced in growth and development, and their body shape was more flexible. More rapid growth and development and flexibility in body shape were seen in the larvae reared with high-plankton food. More importantly, the parental population contributed more towards variations in larval growth and shape than to the diet received by larvae. Additionally, larvae from the low-nutrition parental population were nutritionally increased, which could indicate that this parental effect is more than just a simple change in egg composition.