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Phytohemagglutinin response and immunoglobulin index decrease during incubation fasting in female common eiders.

Sophie Bourgeon1, Francois Criscuolo, Yvon Le Maho

  • 1Centre d'Ecologie et Physiologie Energetiques, Unite Propre de Recherche 9010, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France. sophie.bourgeon@c-strasbourg.fr

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology : PBZ
|July 11, 2006
PubMed
Summary

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Female eiders reduce immune function during incubation, reallocating resources to reproduction. This immune cost of reproduction occurs regardless of clutch size or corticosterone levels.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Long-lived species balance survival and reproduction.
  • Reproductive costs can impact survival and future reproduction, potentially affecting immune function via hormonal changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between reproductive effort and immune function in female eiders (Somateria mollissima) during incubation.
  • To assess changes in acquired immunity and plasma corticosterone levels in relation to clutch size.

Main Methods:

  • Measured T-cell-mediated immune response using phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin tests.
  • Assessed humoral immunity by measuring serum immunoglobulin levels.
  • Monitored plasma corticosterone levels throughout the incubation period in relation to clutch size (1-4 eggs).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Both PHA response and immunoglobulin index significantly decreased during incubation (approx. 40% and 25%, respectively).
  • Immune function decline was independent of clutch size.
  • Plasma corticosterone levels showed no significant variation during incubation or with clutch size.

Conclusions:

  • Female eiders reallocate resources from immune function to reproductive effort during incubation.
  • This reallocation is independent of clutch size and corticosterone levels, suggesting a direct trade-off between reproduction and immunity.