Immune priming and pathogen resistance in ant queens.

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Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_2EF4093A94D7
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Immune priming and pathogen resistance in ant queens.
Journal
Ecology and Evolution
Author(s)
Gálvez D., Chapuisat M.
ISSN
2045-7758 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
2045-7758
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2014
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
4
Number
10
Pages
1761-1767
Language
english
Abstract
Growing empirical evidence indicates that invertebrates become more resistant to a pathogen following initial exposure to a nonlethal dose; yet the generality, mechanisms, and adaptive value of such immune priming are still under debate. Because life-history theory predicts that immune priming and large investment in immunity should be more frequent in long-lived species, we here tested for immune priming and pathogen resistance in ant queens, which have extraordinarily long life span. We exposed virgin and mated queens of Lasius niger and Formica selysi to a low dose of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, before challenging them with a high dose of the same pathogen. We found evidence for immune priming in naturally mated queens of L. niger. In contrast, we found no sign of priming in virgin queens of L. niger, nor in virgin or experimentally mated queens of F. selysi, which indicates that immune priming in ant queens varies according to mating status and mating conditions or species. In both ant species, mated queens showed higher pathogen resistance than virgin queens, which suggests that mating triggers an up-regulation of the immune system. Overall, mated ant queens combine high reproductive output, very long life span, and elevated investment in immune defense. Hence, ant queens are able to invest heavily in both reproduction and maintenance, which can be explained by the fact that mature queens will be protected and nourished by their worker offspring.
Keywords
formicine ants, immune priming, immunity, life-history, life span, mating
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
20/03/2014 17:31
Last modification date
20/08/2019 13:13
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