Hormetic benefits of prior anoxia exposure in buffering anoxia stress in a soil-pupating insect

ABSTRACT Oxygen is essential for most animals, and exposure to a complete lack of oxygen, i.e. anoxia, can result in irreparable damage to cells that can extend up to the organismal level to negatively affect performance. Although it is known that brief anoxia exposure may confer cross-tolerance to other stressors, few data exist on the biochemical and organismal consequences of repeated intermittent bouts of anoxia exposure. In nature, the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae), is frequently exposed to heavy tropical rainfall while pupating in the soil, equating to multiple exposures to hypoxia or anoxia during development. Here, we tested whether prior anoxia exposures during pupal development can induce a beneficial acclimation response, and we explored the consequences of prior exposure for both whole-organism performance and correlated biochemical metrics. Pharate adults (the last developmental stage in the pupal case) were most sensitive to anoxia exposure, showing decreased survival and fertility compared with controls. These negative impacts were ameliorated by exposure to anoxia in earlier pupal developmental stages, indicating a hormetic effect of prior anoxia exposure. Anoxia exposure early in pupal development reduced the oxygen debt repaid after anoxia exposure relative to pharate adults experiencing anoxia for the first time. Lipid levels were highest in all pupal stages when exposed to prior anoxia. Prior anoxia thus benefits organismal performance and relocates resources towards lipid storage throughout pupal–adult development.