Strength and cost of an induced immune response are associated with a heritable melanin-based colour trait in female tawny owls.

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_481375F5E3B0
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Strength and cost of an induced immune response are associated with a heritable melanin-based colour trait in female tawny owls.
Journal
Journal of Animal Ecology
Author(s)
Gasparini J., Bize P., Piault R., Wakamatsu K., Blount J.D., Ducrest A.L., Roulin A.
ISSN
1365-2656 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0021-8790
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2009
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
78
Number
3
Pages
608-616
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
1. Melanin pigments provide the most widespread source of coloration in vertebrates, but the adaptive function of such traits remains poorly known. 2. In a wild population of tawny owls (Strix aluco), we investigated the relationships between plumage coloration, which varies continuously from dark to pale reddish, and the strength and cost of an induced immune response. 3. The degree of reddishness in tawny owl feather colour was positively correlated with the concentration of phaeomelanin and eumelanin pigments, and plumage coloration was highly heritable (h(2) = 0.93). No carotenoids were detected in the feathers. 4. In mothers, the degree of melanin-based coloration was associated with antibody production against a vaccine, with dark reddish females maintaining a stronger level of antibody for a longer period of time compared to pale reddish females, but at a cost in terms of greater loss of body mass. 5. A cross-fostering experiment showed that, independent of maternal coloration, foster chicks reared by vaccinated mothers were lighter than those reared by nonvaccinated mothers. Hence, even though dark reddish mothers suffered a stronger immune cost than pale reddish mothers, this asymmetric cost was not translated to offspring growth. 6. Our study suggests that different heritable melanin-based colorations are associated with alternative strategies to resist parasite attacks, with dark reddish individuals investing more resources towards the humoral immune response than lightly reddish conspecifics.
Keywords
Animals, Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine/immunology, Energy Metabolism/immunology, Feathers/physiology, Female, Melanins/genetics, Melanins/physiology, Parasitic Diseases, Animal/genetics, Parasitic Diseases, Animal/immunology, Pigments, Biological/genetics, Pigments, Biological/physiology, Poliovirus Vaccines/immunology, Strigiformes/immunology
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
03/12/2008 7:34
Last modification date
20/08/2019 13:54
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