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Pineaux M, Merkling T, Danchin E, Hatch SA, Leclaire S, Blanchard P. MHC-II distance between parents predicts sex allocation decisions in a genetically monogamous bird. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Theory predicts that parental heritable characteristics should shape sex allocation decisions when their effects on reproduction or survival are offspring sex-dependent. Numerous studies have questioned to what extent characteristics displayed by one of the parents matched theoretical expectations. This contrasts with the handful of studies that investigated whether compatibility between parents could also trigger selective pressures for sex allocation adjustments. We studied the genetically monogamous black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), where previous data revealed that female chicks suffered higher fitness costs from low diversity at genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) than male chicks. We predicted, and found in our dataset, that MHC-similar parents, producing low MHC-diverse offspring, should avoid the production of females. The relation between MHC-distance between parents (i.e. the functional distinctness of their MHC alleles) and offspring sex was not linear, such that MHC-dissimilar parents also overproduced sons. Overall, our results suggest that the genetically monogamous black-legged kittiwake parents flexibly adapt their reproduction and circumvent the costs of suboptimal pairing by manipulating offspring sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Pineaux
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS. 118 route de Narbonne, Bât. 4R1, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Thomas Merkling
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS. 118 route de Narbonne, Bât. 4R1, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Etienne Danchin
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS. 118 route de Narbonne, Bât. 4R1, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Scott A Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, 12850 Mountain Place, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA
| | - Sarah Leclaire
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS. 118 route de Narbonne, Bât. 4R1, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
| | - Pierrick Blanchard
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS. 118 route de Narbonne, Bât. 4R1, 31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France
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Pineaux M, Merkling T, Danchin E, Hatch S, Duneau D, Blanchard P, Leclaire S. Sex and hatching order modulate the association between MHC-II diversity and fitness in early-life stages of a wild seabird. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:3316-3329. [PMID: 32654215 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a pivotal role in parasite resistance, and their allelic diversity has been associated with fitness variations in several taxa. However, studies report inconsistencies in the direction of this association, with either positive, quadratic or no association being described. These discrepancies may arise because the fitness costs and benefits of MHC diversity differ among individuals depending on their exposure and immune responses to parasites. Here, we investigated in black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) chicks whether associations between MHC class-II diversity and fitness vary with sex and hatching order. MHC-II diversity was positively associated with growth and tick clearance in female chicks, but not in male chicks. Our data also revealed a positive association between MHC-II diversity and survival in second-hatched female chicks (two eggs being the typical clutch size). These findings may result from condition-dependent parasite infections differentially impacting sexes in relation to hatching order. We thus suggest that it may be important to account for individual heterogeneities in traits that potentially exert selective pressures on MHC diversity in order to properly predict MHC-fitness associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Pineaux
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas Merkling
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Etienne Danchin
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Scott Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - David Duneau
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierrick Blanchard
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
| | - Sarah Leclaire
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB UMR 5174), CNRS, IRD, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse, France
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