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Sueiro MC, Awruch CA, Somoza GM, Svagelj WS, Palacios MG. Links between reproduction and immunity in two sympatric wild marine fishes. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2024; 287:111538. [PMID: 37871889 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
According to life-history theory, limited resources can result in trade-offs between costly physiological functions. Particularly, it can be expected that individuals present lower immune function, or an alternative immunological strategy, during their reproductive compared to their non-reproductive season. Here we investigate the link between reproduction and immunity in two sympatric marine fish species, the rockfish Sebastes oculatus and the sandperch Pinguipes brasilianus. The results showed lower values of total white blood cells and spleen index, but higher levels of natural antibodies (only in females) in reproductive rockfish compared to non-reproductive ones. On the other hand, reproductively active sandperch showed lower levels of natural antibodies and a higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and spleen index (only in males), compared to non-reproductive ones. Also, negative correlations between reproductive and immune parameters were observed in female rockfish at the individual level, but not in sandperch. Our results are consistent with the presence of different immunological strategies in reproductive and non-reproductive periods, with patterns that appear to be species-specific. This specificity suggests that various aspects of immunity might respond differentially to resource limitation, which could be associated with the disparate life-history strategies of the studied species. Alternatively, though not exclusively, the observed patterns could be driven by abiotic factors that characterize the reproductive season of each species (i.e., winter for rockfish, summer for sandperch). Our study contributes to ecoimmunological knowledge on free-living fish and highlights that detection of trade-offs can depend on the combination of study species, season, sex, and specific immune components measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Cruz Sueiro
- Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), Centro Nacional Patagónico - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CENPAT - CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina.
| | - Cynthia A Awruch
- Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), Centro Nacional Patagónico - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CENPAT - CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina; School of Natural Sciences and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. https://twitter.com/ca_awruch
| | - Gustavo M Somoza
- Instituto Tecnológico de Chascomús (CONICET-UNSAM), Chascomús, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Escuela de Bio y Nanotecnologías (UNSAM). Argentina
| | - Walter S Svagelj
- Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (UNMdP-CONICET), Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María G Palacios
- Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR), Centro Nacional Patagónico - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CENPAT - CONICET), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
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2
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Minias P, Peng WXVH, Matson KD. Evolutionary trade-off between innate and acquired immune defences in birds. Front Zool 2023; 20:32. [PMID: 37684615 PMCID: PMC10486109 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-023-00511-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development, maintenance, and use of immune defences are costly. Therefore, animals face trade-offs in terms of resource allocation within their immune system and between their immune system and other physiological processes. To maximize fitness, evolution may favour investment in one immunological defence or subsystem over another in a way that matches a species broader life history strategy. Here, we used phylogenetically-informed comparative analyses to test for relationships between two immunological components. Natural antibodies and complement were used as proxies for the innate branch; structural complexity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region was used for the acquired branch. RESULTS We found a negative association between the levels of natural antibodies (i.e., haemagglutination titre) and the total MHC gene copy number across the avian phylogeny, both at the species and family level. The family-level analysis indicated that this association was apparent for both MHC-I and MHC-II, when copy numbers within these two MHC regions were analysed separately. The association remained significant after controlling for basic life history components and for ecological traits commonly linked to pathogen exposure. CONCLUSION Our results provide the first phylogenetically robust evidence for an evolutionary trade-off within the avian immune system, with a more developed acquired immune system (i.e., more complex MHC architecture) in more derived bird lineages (e.g., passerines) being accompanied by an apparent downregulation of the innate immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Minias
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and Bioeducation, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Banacha 1/3, 90-237, Łódź, Poland.
| | - Wei-Xuan V-H Peng
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Kevin D Matson
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Wolf SE, Shalev I. The shelterin protein expansion of telomere dynamics: Linking early life adversity, life history, and the hallmarks of aging. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105261. [PMID: 37268182 PMCID: PMC10527177 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Aging is characterized by functional decline occurring alongside changes to several hallmarks of aging. One of the hallmarks includes attrition of repeated DNA sequences found at the ends of chromosomes called telomeres. While telomere attrition is linked to morbidity and mortality, whether and how it causally contributes to lifelong rates of functional decline is unclear. In this review, we propose the shelterin-telomere hypothesis of life history, in which telomere-binding shelterin proteins translate telomere attrition into a range of physiological outcomes, the extent of which may be modulated by currently understudied variation in shelterin protein levels. Shelterin proteins may expand the breadth and timing of consequences of telomere attrition, e.g., by translating early life adversity into acceleration of the aging process. We consider how the pleiotropic roles of shelterin proteins provide novel insights into natural variation in physiology, life history, and lifespan. We highlight key open questions that encourage the integrative, organismal study of shelterin proteins that enhances our understanding of the contribution of the telomere system to aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Wolf
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Hicks O, Kato A, Wisniewska DM, Marciau C, Angelier F, Ropert-Coudert Y, Hegemann A. Holding time has limited impact on constitutive innate immune function in a long-lived Antarctic seabird, the Adélie penguin: implications for field studies. Biol Open 2023; 12:286793. [PMID: 36716101 PMCID: PMC9990909 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
There is great interest in measuring immune function in wild animals. Yet, field conditions often have methodological challenges related to handling stress, which can alter physiology. Despite general consensus that immune function is influenced by handling stress, previous studies have provided equivocal results. Furthermore, few studies have focused on long-lived species, which may have different stress-immune trade-offs compared to short-lived species that have primarily been tested. Here, we investigate whether capture and handling duration impacts innate immune function in a long-lived seabird, the Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae). We found no evidence for changes in three commonly used parameters of innate immune function upon holding time of up to 2 h, suggesting that immune function in this species is more robust against handling than in other species. This opens up exciting possibilities for measuring immune function in species with similar life-histories even if samples cannot be taken directly after capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Hicks
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France.,Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Akiko Kato
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | | | - Coline Marciau
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Frédéric Angelier
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS, La Rochelle Université, UMR 7372, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Arne Hegemann
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark
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5
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Vasilieva NA. Pace-of-Life Syndrome (POLS): Evolution of the Concept. BIOL BULL+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359022070238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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6
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van Veelen HPJ, Salles JF, Matson KD, van Doorn GS, van der Velde M, Tieleman BI. The microbial environment modulates non-genetic maternal effects on egg immunity. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:44. [PMID: 35902980 PMCID: PMC9331593 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00195-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In a diverse microbial world immune function of animals is essential. Diverse microbial environments may contribute to extensive variation in immunological phenotypes of vertebrates, among and within species and individuals. As maternal effects benefit offspring development and survival, whether females use cues about their microbial environment to prime offspring immune function is unclear. To provide microbial environmental context to maternal effects, we asked if the bacterial diversity of the living environment of female zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata shapes maternal effects on egg immune function. We manipulated environmental bacterial diversity of birds and tested if females increased immunological investment in eggs in an environment with high bacterial diversity (untreated soil) versus low (gamma-sterilized soil). We quantified lysozyme and ovotransferrin in egg albumen and IgY in egg yolk and in female blood, and we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile maternal cloacal and eggshell microbiotas. Results We found a maternal effect on egg IgY concentration that reflected environmental microbial diversity: females who experienced high diversity deposited more IgY in their eggs, but only if maternal plasma IgY levels were relatively high. We found no effects on lysozyme and ovotransferrin concentrations in albumen. Moreover, we uncovered that variation in egg immune traits could be significantly attributed to differences among females: for IgY concentration in yolk repeatability R = 0.80; for lysozyme concentration in albumen R = 0.27. Furthermore, a partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) linking immune parameters of females and eggs, which included maternal and eggshell microbiota structures and female body condition, recapitulated the treatment-dependent yolk IgY response. The PLS-PM additionally suggested that the microbiota and physical condition of females contributed to shaping maternal effects on egg immune function, and that (non-specific) innate egg immunity was prioritized in the environment with low bacterial diversity. Conclusions The microbial environment of birds can shape maternal effects on egg immune function. Since immunological priming of eggs benefits offspring, we highlight that non-genetic maternal effects on yolk IgY levels based on cues from the parental microbial environment may prove important for offspring to thrive in the microbial environment that they are expected to face. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42523-022-00195-8.
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Assis VR, Titon SCM, Voyles J. Ecoimmunology: What Unconventional Organisms Tell Us after Two Decades. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:icac148. [PMID: 36250609 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vania R Assis
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Stefanny C M Titon
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo SP 05508-090, Brasil
| | - Jamie Voyles
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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Rosengaus R, Traniello J, Bakker T. Sociality and disease: behavioral perspectives in ecological and evolutionary immunology. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022; 76:98. [PMID: 35821673 PMCID: PMC9263030 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03203-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebeca Rosengaus
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115-5000 USA
| | - James Traniello
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - Theo Bakker
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 1, 53121 Bonn, Germany
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9
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Smith OM, Olimpi EM, Navarro-Gonzalez N, Cornell KA, Frishkoff LO, Northfield TD, Bowles TM, Edworthy M, Eilers J, Fu Z, Garcia K, Gonthier DJ, Jones MS, Kennedy CM, Latimer CE, Owen JP, Sato C, Taylor JM, Wilson-Rankin EE, Snyder WE, Karp DS. A trait-based framework for predicting foodborne pathogen risk from wild birds. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2523. [PMID: 34921463 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent foodborne illness outbreaks have heightened pressures on growers to deter wildlife from farms, jeopardizing conservation efforts. However, it remains unclear which species, particularly birds, pose the greatest risk to food safety. Using >11,000 pathogen tests and 1565 bird surveys covering 139 bird species from across the western United States, we examined the importance of 11 traits in mediating wild bird risk to food safety. We tested whether traits associated with pathogen exposure (e.g., habitat associations, movement, and foraging strategy) and pace-of-life (clutch size and generation length) mediated foodborne pathogen prevalence and proclivities to enter farm fields and defecate on crops. Campylobacter spp. were the most prevalent enteric pathogen (8.0%), while Salmonella and Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) were rare (0.46% and 0.22% prevalence, respectively). We found that several traits related to pathogen exposure predicted pathogen prevalence. Specifically, Campylobacter and STEC-associated virulence genes were more often detected in species associated with cattle feedlots and bird feeders, respectively. Campylobacter was also more prevalent in species that consumed plants and had longer generation lengths. We found that species associated with feedlots were more likely to enter fields and defecate on crops. Our results indicated that canopy-foraging insectivores were less likely to deposit foodborne pathogens on crops, suggesting growers may be able to promote pest-eating birds and birds of conservation concern (e.g., via nest boxes) without necessarily compromising food safety. As such, promoting insectivorous birds may represent a win-win-win for bird conservation, crop production, and food safety. Collectively, our results suggest that separating crop production from livestock farming may be the best way to lower food safety risks from birds. More broadly, our trait-based framework suggests a path forward for co-managing wildlife conservation and food safety risks in farmlands by providing a strategy for holistically evaluating the food safety risks of wild animals, including under-studied species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia M Smith
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Elissa M Olimpi
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | | | - Kevin A Cornell
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Luke O Frishkoff
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA
| | - Tobin D Northfield
- Department of Entomology, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, Wenatchee, Washington, USA
- Centre for Tropical Environmental Sustainability Science, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
| | - Timothy M Bowles
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Max Edworthy
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Johnna Eilers
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Zhen Fu
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
- Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
| | - Karina Garcia
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - David J Gonthier
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Matthew S Jones
- Department of Entomology, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, Washington State University, Wenatchee, Washington, USA
| | - Christina M Kennedy
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Christopher E Latimer
- Global Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Jeb P Owen
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Chika Sato
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Joseph M Taylor
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | | | - William E Snyder
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Department of Entomology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Daniel S Karp
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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Ndithia HK, Matson KD, Muchai M, Tieleman BI. Immune function differs among tropical environments but is not downregulated during reproduction in three year-round breeding equatorial lark populations. Oecologia 2021; 197:599-614. [PMID: 34636981 PMCID: PMC8585810 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05052-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal variation in immune function can be attributed to life history trade-offs, and to variation in environmental conditions. However, because phenological stages and environmental conditions co-vary in temperate and arctic zones, their separate contributions have not been determined. We compared immune function and body mass of incubating (female only), chick-feeding (female and male), and non-breeding (female and male) red-capped larks Calandrella cinerea breeding year-round in three tropical equatorial (Kenya) environments with distinct climates. We measured four immune indices: haptoglobin, nitric oxide, agglutination, and lysis. To confirm that variation in immune function between breeding (i.e., incubating or chick-feeding) and non-breeding was not confounded by environmental conditions, we tested if rainfall, average minimum temperature (Tmin), and average maximum temperature (Tmax) differed during sampling times among the three breeding statuses per location. Tmin and Tmax differed between chick-feeding and non-breeding, suggesting that birds utilized environmental conditions differently in different locations for reproduction. Immune indices did not differ between incubating, chick-feeding and non-breeding birds in all three locations. There were two exceptions: nitric oxide was higher during incubation in cool and wet South Kinangop, and it was higher during chick-feeding in the cool and dry North Kinangop compared to non-breeding birds in these locations. For nitric oxide, agglutination, and lysis, we found among-location differences within breeding stage. In equatorial tropical birds, variation in immune function seems to be better explained by among-location climate-induced environmental conditions than by breeding status. Our findings raise questions about how within-location environmental variation relates to and affects immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry K Ndithia
- Ornithology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, 00100 GPO, Kenya. .,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Kevin D Matson
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Muchane Muchai
- Department of Clinical Studies (Wildlife and Conservation), College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - B Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
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11
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Driessen MMG, Versteegh MA, Gerritsma YH, Tieleman BI, Pen I, Verhulst S. Effects of early-life conditions on innate immune function in adult zebra finches. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269007. [PMID: 34087935 PMCID: PMC8214827 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Early life conditions can affect individuals for life, with harsh developmental conditions resulting in lower fitness, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesized that immune function may be part of the underlying mechanism, when harsh developmental conditions result in less effective immune function. We tested this hypothesis by comparing innate immune function between zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) in adulthood (n=230; age 108–749 days) that were reared in either small or large broods. We used this experimental background to follow up our earlier finding that finches reared in large broods have a shorter lifespan. To render a broad overview of innate immune function, we used an array of six measures: bacterial killing capacity, hemagglutination, hemolysis, haptoglobin, nitric oxide and ovotransferrin. We found no convincing evidence for effects of natal brood size on any of the six measures of innate immune function. This raised the question whether the origin of variation in immune function was genetic, and we therefore estimated heritabilities using animal models. However, we found heritability estimates to be low (range 0.04–0.11) for all measured immune variables, suggesting variation in innate immune function can largely be attributed to environmental effects independent of early-life conditions as modified by natal brood size. Summary: Developmental hardship has many long-term implications, but its effects on adult immune function are unknown. We found no effects of a developmental manipulation on innate immune function during adulthood in zebra finches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merijn M G Driessen
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Maaike A Versteegh
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Yoran H Gerritsma
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - B Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ido Pen
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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12
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Behringer V, Deimel C, Stevens JMG, Kreyer M, Lee SM, Hohmann G, Fruth B, Heistermann M. Cell-Mediated Immune Ontogeny Is Affected by Sex but Not Environmental Context in a Long-Lived Primate Species. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.629094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecoimmunology conceptualizes the role of immunity in shaping life history in a natural context. Within ecoimmunology, macroimmunology is a framework that explains the effects of habitat and spatial differences on variation in immune phenotypes across populations. Within these frameworks, immune ontogeny—the development of the immune system across an individual life span—has received little attention. Here, we investigated how immune ontogeny from birth until adulthood is affected by age, sex, and developmental environment in a long-lived primate species, the bonobo. We found a progressive, significant decline of urinary neopterin levels, a marker for the cell-mediated immune response, from birth until 5 years of age in both sexes. The overall pattern of age-related neopterin changes was sex-specific, with males having higher urinary neopterin levels than females in the first 3 years of life, and females having higher levels than males between 6 and 8 years. Environmental condition (zoo-housed vs. wild) did not influence neopterin levels, nor did age-related changes in neopterin levels differ between environments. Our data suggest that the post-natal development of cell-mediated immune ontogeny is sex-specific but does not show plasticity in response to environmental conditions in this long-lived primate species. This indicates that cell-mediated immune ontogeny in the bonobo follows a stereotypic and maybe a genetically determined pattern that is not affected by environmental differences in pathogen exposure and energy availability, but that sex is an important, yet often overlooked factor shaping patterns of immune ontogeny. Investigating the causes and consequences of variation in immunity throughout life is critical for our understanding of life-history evolution and strategies, mechanisms of sexual selection, and population dynamics with respect to pathogen susceptibility. A general description of sex-specific immune ontogeny as done here is a crucial step in this direction, particularly when it is considered in the context of a species’ ecology and evolutionary history.
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Titon SCM, Assis VR. Introduction to the special issue: Ecoimmunology in ectotherms. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 333:697-705. [PMID: 33450144 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanny C M Titon
- Laboratório de Comportamento e Fisiologia Evolutiva, Rua do Matão, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Vania R Assis
- Laboratório de Comportamento e Fisiologia Evolutiva, Rua do Matão, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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14
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Valenzuela-Sánchez A, Wilber MQ, Canessa S, Bacigalupe LD, Muths E, Schmidt BR, Cunningham AA, Ozgul A, Johnson PTJ, Cayuela H. Why disease ecology needs life-history theory: a host perspective. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:876-890. [PMID: 33492776 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
When facing an emerging infectious disease of conservation concern, we often have little information on the nature of the host-parasite interaction to inform management decisions. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the life-history strategies of host species can be predictive of individual- and population-level responses to infectious disease, even without detailed knowledge on the specifics of the host-parasite interaction. Here, we argue that a deeper integration of life-history theory into disease ecology is timely and necessary to improve our capacity to understand, predict and mitigate the impact of endemic and emerging infectious diseases in wild populations. Using wild vertebrates as an example, we show that host life-history characteristics influence host responses to parasitism at different levels of organisation, from individuals to communities. We also highlight knowledge gaps and future directions for the study of life-history and host responses to parasitism. We conclude by illustrating how this theoretical insight can inform the monitoring and control of infectious diseases in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.,ONG Ranita de Darwin, Valdivia and Santiago, Chile.,Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Mark Q Wilber
- Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.,Center for Wildlife Health, Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Stefano Canessa
- Wildlife Health Ghent, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Leonardo D Bacigalupe
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Erin Muths
- U.S. Geological Survey, 2150 Centre Avenue Bldg C, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80526, USA
| | - Benedikt R Schmidt
- Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Info Fauna Karch, UniMail, Bâtiment G, Bellevaux 51, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Andrew A Cunningham
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Pieter T J Johnson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA
| | - Hugo Cayuela
- IBIS, Department of Biology, University Laval, Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand, Avenue de la Médecine, Quebec City, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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15
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Hämäläinen AM, Guenther A, Patrick SC, Schuett W. Environmental effects on the covariation among pace‐of‐life traits. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anni M. Hämäläinen
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Institute of Environmental Science Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Finland
| | - Anja Guenther
- Department of Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology Plön Germany
| | | | - Wiebke Schuett
- Institute of Zoology Universität Hamburg Hamburg Germany
- School of Life Sciences University of Sussex Brighton UK
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16
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Palacios MG, Gangloff EJ, Reding DM, Bronikowski AM. Genetic background and thermal environment differentially influence the ontogeny of immune components during early life in an ectothermic vertebrate. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1883-1894. [PMID: 32472604 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
An understudied aspect of vertebrate ecoimmunology has been the relative contributions of environmental factors (E), genetic background (G) and their interaction (G × E) in shaping immune development and function. Environmental temperature is known to affect many aspects of immune function and alterations in temperature regimes have been implicated in emergent disease outbreaks, making it a critical environmental factor to study in the context of immune phenotype determinants of wild animals. We assessed the relative influences of environmental temperature, genetic background and their interaction on first-year development of innate and adaptive immune defences of captive-born garter snakes Thamnophis elegans using a reciprocal transplant laboratory experiment. We used a full-factorial design with snakes from two divergent life-history ecotypes, which are known to differ in immune function in their native habitats, raised under conditions mimicking the natural thermal regime-that is, warmer and cooler-of each habitat. Genetic background (ecotype) and thermal regime influenced innate and adaptive immune parameters of snakes, but in an immune-component specific manner. We found some evidence of G × E interactions but no indication of adaptive plasticity with respect to thermal environment. At the individual level, the effects of thermal environment on resource allocation decisions varied between the fast- and the slow-paced life-history ecotypes. Under warmer conditions, which increased food consumption of individuals in both ecotypes, the former invested mostly in growth, whereas the latter invested more evenly between growth and immune development. Overall, immune parameters were highly flexible, but results suggest that other environmental factors are likely more important than temperature per se in driving the ecotype differences in immunity previously documented in the snakes under field conditions. Our results also add to the understanding of investment in immune development and growth during early postnatal life under different thermal environments. Our finding of immune-component specific patterns strongly cautions against oversimplification of the highly complex immune system in ecoimmunological studies. In conjunction, these results deepen our understanding of the degree of immunological flexibility wild animals present, information that is ever more vital in the context of rapid global environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Palacios
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Eric J Gangloff
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Dawn M Reding
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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17
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van Veelen HPJ, Falcão Salles J, Matson KD, van der Velde M, Tieleman BI. Microbial environment shapes immune function and cloacal microbiota dynamics in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. Anim Microbiome 2020; 2:21. [PMID: 33499970 PMCID: PMC7807698 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-020-00039-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The relevance of the host microbiota to host ecology and evolution is well acknowledged. However, the effect of the microbial environment on host immune function and host microbiota dynamics is understudied in terrestrial vertebrates. Using a novel experimental approach centered on the manipulation of the microbial environment of zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, we carried out a study to investigate effects of the host’s microbial environment on: 1) constitutive immune function, 2) the resilience of the host cloacal microbiota; and 3) the degree to which immune function and host microbiota covary in microbial environments that differ in diversity. Results We explored immune indices (hemagglutination, hemolysis, IgY levels and haptoglobin concentration) and host-associated microbiota (diversity and composition) in birds exposed to two experimental microbial environments differing in microbial diversity. According to our expectations, exposure to experimental microbial environments led to differences related to specific antibodies: IgY levels were elevated in the high diversity treatment, whereas we found no effects for the other immune indices. Furthermore, according to predictions, we found significantly increased richness of dominant OTUs for cloacal microbiota of birds of the high diversity compared with the low diversity group. In addition, cloacal microbiota of individual females approached their baseline state sooner in the low diversity environment than females in the high diversity environment. This result supported a direct phenotypically plastic response of host microbiota, and suggests that its resilience depends on environmental microbial diversity. Finally, immune indices and cloacal microbiota composition tend to covary within treatment groups, while at the same time, individuals exhibited consistent differences of immune indices and microbiota characteristics. Conclusion We show that microbes in the surroundings of terrestrial vertebrates can influence immune function and host-associated microbiota dynamics over relatively short time scales. We suggest that covariation between immune indices and cloacal microbiota, in addition to large and consistent differences among individuals, provides potential for evolutionary adaptation. Ultimately, our study highlights that linking environmental and host microbiotas may help unravelling immunological variation within and potentially among species, and together these efforts will advance the integration of microbial ecology and ecological immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Pieter J van Veelen
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands. .,Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Oostergoweg 9, 9811 MA, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.
| | - Joana Falcão Salles
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin D Matson
- Resource Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marco van der Velde
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - B Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
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18
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Tüzün N, Debecker S, Stoks R. Strong species differences in life history do not predict oxidative stress physiology or sensitivity to an environmental oxidant. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1711-1721. [PMID: 32271951 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Species typically align along a fast-slow life-history continuum, yet it is not clear to what extent oxidative stress physiology can be integrated with this continuum to form a 'pace-of-life syndrome', especially so in invertebrates. This is important, given the assumed role of oxidative stress in mediating life-history trade-offs, and the prediction that species with a faster pace should be more vulnerable to oxidative stress. We tested whether a species' life-history pace, here represented by its growth rate, can predict species-level differentiation in physiology and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Therefore, we exposed four species of Ischnura damselflies that strongly align along a fast-slow life-history continuum to different levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. We measured an extended set of physiological traits linked to the pace-of-life: standard metabolic rate, oxidative stress physiology (antioxidant enzymes and oxidative damage) and defence/condition traits (investment in immune function, energy storage and structural defence). Despite strong species differences in growth rate and physiology, growth rate did not predict species-level differentiation in physiology. Hence there was no support for the integration of metabolic rate, oxidative stress physiology or defence/condition traits into a species-level syndrome. Ultraviolet exposure affected nearly all traits: it reduced growth rate and increased metabolic rate, affected all oxidative stress physiology traits and increased the two defence traits (immune function, and melanin content). Nevertheless, the pace-of-life based on growth rate did not predict sensitivity to UV. Instead, the observed pattern of investment in structural UV defence (melanin) might have reduced the need for enzymatic antioxidant defence, this way potentially decoupling the covariation between the life-history pace and oxidative stress physiology. The absence of an integrated axis of life-history and physiological variation indicates no major constraints for the evolution of these traits among the studied damselfly species. Our study highlights that ecological differences between species may decouple covariation between species' life-history pace and their physiology, as well as their sensitivity to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedim Tüzün
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara Debecker
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robby Stoks
- Evolutionary Stress Ecology and Ecotoxicology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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19
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Eikenaar C, Hessler S, Hegemann A. Migrating birds rapidly increase constitutive immune function during stopover. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:192031. [PMID: 32257353 PMCID: PMC7062082 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Migratory flight is physiologically highly demanding and has been shown to negatively affect multiple parameters of constitutive immune function (CIF), an animal's first line of physiological defence against infections. In between migratory flights, most birds make stopovers, periods during which they accumulate fuel for the next flight(s). Stopovers are also commonly thought of as periods of rest and recovery, but what this encompasses is largely undefined. Here, we show that during stopover, northern wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe, a long-distance migratory bird, can rapidly increase constitutive innate immune function. We caught and temporarily caged birds under ad libitum food conditions at a stopover site in autumn. Within 2 days, most birds significantly increased complement activity and their ability to kill microbes. Changes in immune function were not related to the birds' food intake or extent of fuel accumulation. Our study suggests that stopovers may not only be important to refuel but also to restore immune function. Additionally, the increase in CIF could help migrating birds to deal with novel pathogens they may encounter at stopover sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cas Eikenaar
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, Wilhelmshaven 26386, Germany
| | - Sven Hessler
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte 21, Wilhelmshaven 26386, Germany
| | - Arne Hegemann
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund 223 62, Sweden
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20
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21
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Giraudeau M, Angelier F, Sepp T. Do Telomeres Influence Pace-of-Life-Strategies in Response to Environmental Conditions Over a Lifetime and Between Generations? Bioessays 2019; 41:e1800162. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Giraudeau
- CREEC; 911 Avenue Agropolis; BP 6450134394 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
- MIVEGEC; UMR IRD/CNRS/UM 5290; 911 Avenue Agropolis, BP 6450134394 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - Frederic Angelier
- CNRS CEBC-ULR; UMR 7372; Villiers en Bois 79360 Beauvoir sur Niort France
| | - Tuul Sepp
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences; University of Tartu; Vanemuise 46 51014 Tartu Estonia
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22
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Roast MJ, Aulsebrook AE, Fan M, Hidalgo Aranzamendi N, Teunissen N, Peters A. Short-Term Climate Variation Drives Baseline Innate Immune Function and Stress in a Tropical Bird: A Reactive Scope Perspective. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:140-151. [PMID: 30689489 DOI: 10.1086/702310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Investment in immune function can be costly, and life-history theory predicts trade-offs between immune function and other physiological demands. Environmental heterogeneity may constrain or change the optimal strategy and thereby alter baseline immune function (possibly mediated by stress responses). We tested several hypotheses relating variation in climatic, ecological, and social environments to chronic stress and levels of baseline innate immunity in a wild, cooperatively breeding bird, the purple-crowned fairy-wren (Malurus coronatus coronatus). From samples collected biannually over 5 yr, we quantified three indexes of constitutive innate immune function (haptoglobin/PIT54, natural antibodies, complement activity) and one index of chronic stress (heterophil-lymphocyte ratio; <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mi>n</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>513</mml:mn><mml:mtext>-</mml:mtext><mml:mn>647</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math> ). Using an information-theoretic and multimodel inference statistical approach, we found that habitat quality and social group size did not affect any immune index, despite hypothesized links to resource abundance and parasite pressure. Rather, short-term variation in temperature and rainfall was related to immune function, while overall differences between seasons were small or absent, despite substantial seasonal variation in climate. Contrary to our expectation, we found no evidence that physiological stress mediated any effects of short-term climatic variables on immune indexes, and alternative mechanisms may be involved. Our results may be interpreted from the perspective of reactive scope models, whereby predictive homeostasis maintains standing immune function relative to long-term demands, while short-term environmental change, being less predictable, has a greater influence on baseline immune function.
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23
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Nwaogu CJ, Cresswell W, Versteegh MA, Tieleman BI. Seasonal differences in baseline innate immune function are better explained by environment than annual cycle stage in a year-round breeding tropical songbird. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:537-553. [PMID: 30659607 PMCID: PMC6849850 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal variation in innate immunity is often attributed to either temporal environmental variation or to life‐history trade‐offs that arise from specific annual cycle stages but decoupling them is difficult in natural populations. Here, we effectively decouple seasonal environmental variation from annual cycle stage effects by exploiting cross‐seasonal breeding and moult in the tropical Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus. We test how annual cycle stage interacts with a key seasonal environmental variable, rainfall, to determine immunity at population and individual level. If immune challenge varies with precipitation, we might expect immune function to be higher in the wet season due to increased environmental productivity. If breeding or moult imposes resource constraints on birds, depending on or independent of precipitation, we might expect lower immune indices during breeding or moult. We sampled blood from 818 birds in four annual cycle stage categories: breeding, moult, simultaneous breeding and moulting, or neither. We quantified indices of innate immunity (haptoglobin, nitric oxide (NOx) and ovotransferrin concentrations, and haemagglutination and haemolysis titres) over two annual cycles of wet and dry seasons. Environment (but not annual cycle stage or interactions between both) explained variation in all immune indices, except NOx. NOx concentration differed between annual cycle stages but not between seasons. However, within the wet season, haptoglobin, NOx, ovotransferrin and haemolysis differed significantly between breeding and non‐breeding females. Aside from some recorded inconsistencies, population level results were largely similar to results within individuals that were measured repeatedly. Unexpectedly, most immune indices were higher in the dry season and during breeding. Higher immune indices may be explained if fewer or poorer quality resources force birds to increase social contact, thereby exposing individuals to novel antigens and increased infection risk, independently of environmental productivity. Breeding birds may also show higher immunity if less immune‐competent and/or infected females omit breeding. We conclude that seasonal environmental variation impacts immunity more directly in natural animal populations than via resource trade‐offs. In addition, immune indices were more often variable within than among individuals, but some indices are characteristic of individuals, and so may offer selective advantages if heritable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chima J Nwaogu
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews Fife, UK.,A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Jos, Nigeria
| | - Will Cresswell
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews Fife, UK.,A.P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, Jos, Nigeria
| | - Maaike A Versteegh
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - B Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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24
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Wright J, Bolstad GH, Araya-Ajoy YG, Dingemanse NJ. Life-history evolution under fluctuating density-dependent selection and the adaptive alignment of pace-of-life syndromes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:230-247. [PMID: 30019372 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 06/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We present a novel perspective on life-history evolution that combines recent theoretical advances in fluctuating density-dependent selection with the notion of pace-of-life syndromes (POLSs) in behavioural ecology. These ideas posit phenotypic co-variation in life-history, physiological, morphological and behavioural traits as a continuum from the highly fecund, short-lived, bold, aggressive and highly dispersive 'fast' types at one end of the POLS to the less fecund, long-lived, cautious, shy, plastic and socially responsive 'slow' types at the other. We propose that such variation in life histories and the associated individual differences in behaviour can be explained through their eco-evolutionary dynamics with population density - a single and ubiquitous selective factor that is present in all biological systems. Contrasting regimes of environmental stochasticity are expected to affect population density in time and space and create differing patterns of fluctuating density-dependent selection, which generates variation in fast versus slow life histories within and among populations. We therefore predict that a major axis of phenotypic co-variation in life-history, physiological, morphological and behavioural traits (i.e. the POLS) should align with these stochastic fluctuations in the multivariate fitness landscape created by variation in density-dependent selection. Phenotypic plasticity and/or genetic (co-)variation oriented along this major POLS axis are thus expected to facilitate rapid and adaptively integrated changes in various aspects of life histories within and among populations and/or species. The fluctuating density-dependent selection POLS framework presented here therefore provides a series of clear testable predictions, the investigation of which should further our fundamental understanding of life-history evolution and thus our ability to predict natural population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Wright
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Geir H Bolstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), N-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Yimen G Araya-Ajoy
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Niels J Dingemanse
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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25
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Polverino G, Santostefano F, Díaz-Gil C, Mehner T. Ecological conditions drive pace-of-life syndromes by shaping relationships between life history, physiology and behaviour in two populations of Eastern mosquitofish. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14673. [PMID: 30279465 PMCID: PMC6168454 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33047-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis predicts variation in behaviour and physiology among individuals to be associated with variation in life history. Thus, individuals on the "fast" end of POLS continuum grow faster, exhibit higher metabolism, are more risk prone, but die earlier than ones on the "slow" end. Empirical support is nevertheless mixed and modelling studies suggested POLS to vary along selection gradients. Therefore, including ecological variation when testing POLS is vastly needed to determine whether POLS is a fixed construct or the result of specific selection processes. Here, we tested POLS predictions between and within two fish populations originating from different ecological conditions. We observed opposing life histories between populations, characterized by differential investments into growth, fecundity, and functional morphology under identical laboratory conditions. A slower life history was, on average, associated with boldness (latency to emergence from a refuge), high activity (short freezing time and long distance travelled), and increased standard metabolism. Correlation structures among POLS traits were not consistent between populations, with the expression of POLS observed in the slow-growing but not in the fast-growing population. Our results suggest that POLS traits can evolve independently from one another and that their coevolution depends upon specific ecological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Polverino
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, 12587, Germany. .,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia.
| | - Francesca Santostefano
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Carlos Díaz-Gil
- Department of Ecology and Marine Resources, Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, 07190, Spain.,Laboratori d'Investigacions Marines i Aqüicultura (LIMIA), Balearic Government, Port d'Andratx, 07157, Spain
| | - Thomas Mehner
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, 12587, Germany
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26
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Pace-of-life syndromes: a framework for the adaptive integration of behaviour, physiology and life history. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2473-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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27
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Guindre-Parker S, Rubenstein DR. No short-term physiological costs of offspring care in a cooperatively breeding bird. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb.186569. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.186569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The cost of reproduction results in a life-history trade-off where investment in current reproduction via costly parental care decreases subsequent fitness. Although this trade-off is thought to occur ubiquitously across animals, there is equivocal evidence that parental care behaviours are costly. A major challenge of studying the cost of parental care has been a lack of consensus over which physiological mechanisms underlie this trade-off. Here we compare four traits believed to mediate the cost of parental care by examining whether glucocorticoids, oxidative stress, immune function, or body condition represent a cost of performing offspring care and shape subsequent fitness. We use a 4-year dataset collected in free-living cooperatively breeding superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus), a species in which parental and alloparental care effort varies widely among individuals and across years. Our results showed that within-individual change in physiology was unrelated to investment in offspring care, and physiological state during chick-rearing did not predict the likelihood that an individual would breeding in subsequent seasons. Instead, individuals that had elevated baseline corticosterone during incubation performed more nest guarding, suggesting that this hormone may play a preparatory role for investing in offspring care. Together, our results indicate that superb starlings modify their investment in offspring care according to their physiological state during incubation, despite no evidence of a short-term physiological cost of parental or alloparental care. Thus, breeding cooperatively appears to provide individuals with the flexibility to adjust their investment in offspring care and overcome any potential costs of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guindre-Parker
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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