Photoperiod differentially affects immune function and reproduction in collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus)

Many nontropical rodent species experience predictable annual variation in resource availability and environmental conditions. Individuals of many animal species engage in energetically expensive processes such as breeding during the spring and summer but bias investment toward processes that promote survival such as immune function during the winter. Generally, the suite of responses associated with the changing seasons can be induced by manipulating day length (photoperiod). Collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) are arvicoline rodents that inhabit parts of northern Canada and Greenland. Despite the extreme conditions of winter in their native habitat, these lemmings routinely breed during the winter. In the laboratory, collared lemmings have divergent responses to photoperiod relative to other seasonally breeding rodents; short day lengths can stimulate, rather than inhibit, the reproductive system. Male and female collared lemmings were maintained for 11 weeks in 1 of 3 photoperiods (LD 22:2, LD 16:8, or LD 8:16) that induce markedly different phenotypes. Following photoperiod treatment, cell-mediated immune function as assessed by delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions was elevated in lemmings housed in LD 16:8 and LD 8:16 relative to LD 22:2. However, antibody production to a novel antigen was unaffected by photoperiod. Exposure to LD 8:16 induced weight gain, molt to a winter pelage, and in contrast to previous studies, regression of the male, but not the female, reproductive tract. In conclusion, these data indicate that components of immune function among collared lemmings are responsive to changes in day length.