ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Aquatic Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1693900
Intergenerational Effects of Dietary Iron on Swimming and Metabolic Performance in Zebrafish
Provisionally accepted
- York University, Toronto, Canada
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Iron is an essential trace metal required for various physiological processes, yet both deficiency and excess can disrupt metal homeostasis and compromise fitness. In this study, we investigated how dietary iron availability influences physiological performance across generations in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Fish were fed diets spanning a gradient from deficiency to supplementation (Low Fe, 11 mg Fe/kg; Medium Fe, 420 mg Fe/kg, and High Fe, 2300 mg Fe/kg), and effects on growth, metal homeostasis, swimming performance, energy metabolism, and reproduction were assessed. Following reproductive assays, offspring were raised under control conditions and subsequently challenged with the same dietary iron treatments (Low Fe, Medium Fe, and High Fe as parents) in adulthood. Sub-acute exposure (20 days) to elevated dietary iron enhanced aerobic scope, maximum metabolic rate, and critical swimming speed, alongside improved reproductive output as measured by embryo survival and early development. However, sub-chronic exposure (40 days) to High Fe diminished swimming performance benefits and was also associated with tissue iron loading. Notably, zebrafish tolerated sub-chronic exposure to Low Fe without significant impacts on condition factor or energetic performance. Interestingly, the difference in swimming and metabolic performance between high and low iron treatments was more pronounced in the offspring, suggesting an intergenerational effect of parental iron status. Together, these findings suggest that dietary iron availability can shape both immediate and inherited performance phenotypes, underscoring its dual role as a nutritional requirement and a regulator of ecological fitness.
Keywords: Dietary iron, metal homeostasis, respirometry, Swimming, Reproduction, intergenerational, Effects, Zebrafish
Received: 27 Aug 2025; Accepted: 29 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chandrapalan, Walia and Kwong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Raymond WM Kwong, rwmkwong@yorku.ca
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