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Published on: January 27, 2019
Sexual dimorphism in immune defense.
A P Møller1, G Sorci, J Erritzøe
1Laboratoire d'Ecologie, CNRS URA 258, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Bât. A, 7ème étage, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Male birds often have smaller spleens than females, especially when sexual competition is high. This suggests sexual selection impacts immune function and may explain sex differences in parasite infections.
Area of Science:
- Avian biology
- Immunology
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Sex differences in parasitism are common in birds.
- These differences may stem from variations in sexual competition, immune function, or parasite exposure between sexes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate consistent sex differences in immune defense organs (bursa of Fabricius and spleen) across bird species.
- To determine if sexual selection influences these sex differences in immune organ size.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a large dataset on the relative mass of the bursa of Fabricius and spleen in various bird species.
- Comparison of spleen mass between males and females, considering age (juveniles vs. adults) and reproductive strategies (extra-pair paternity).
Main Results:
- Males consistently exhibited smaller, more variable relative spleen mass compared to females across species.
- A significant sex difference in spleen size was observed in adults but not in juveniles.
- Spleen mass suppression in adult males correlated positively with the intensity of sexual selection, measured by extra-pair paternity.
Conclusions:
- Significant sex differences in immune function, specifically spleen size, exist in adult birds.
- Sexual selection appears to mediate these immune differences, potentially influencing sex-specific susceptibility to parasites.
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