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Rising to the Challenge: Mounting an Acute Phase Immune Response Has No Long-Term Negative Effects on Captive Sparrow
T R Kelly1, A C Butnari1, E A MacDougall-Shackleton1
1Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada.
Migratory birds can activate immune responses without impacting their migratory behavior or energy reserves. This study shows short-term immune challenges did not hinder migratory restlessness or body composition in song sparrows.
Area of Science:
- Avian physiology
- Immunology
- Ecology
Background:
- Migratory animals face energetic trade-offs between immune defense and energy reserves.
- Observational studies struggle to isolate immune response costs from infection costs.
- Disentangling these trade-offs requires controlled experimental approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physiological and behavioral effects of acute immune challenges on migratory songbirds.
- To determine if immune activation impacts body composition and migratory restlessness.
- To differentiate the costs of immune response from potential pathogenic infection.
Main Methods:
- Captured song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) during autumn migration.
- Administered non-infectious antigens (keyhole limpet hemocyanin and lipopolysaccharide) to induce immune responses.
- Monitored changes in body mass, lean mass, and migratory restlessness (Zugunruhe).
Main Results:
- Both species showed increased body mass the day after keyhole limpet hemocyanin exposure.
- White-throated sparrows exhibited increased lean mass 1 week after lipopolysaccharide exposure.
- White-throated sparrows displayed increased migratory restlessness following keyhole limpet hemocyanin exposure.
Conclusions:
- Short-term immune response activation does not appear to constrain migratory physiology in these songbirds.
- Immune-induced changes in body composition can be long-lasting and host-antigen specific.
- Experimental challenges offer a way to disentangle immune response costs in wild animals.
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