Titre
Immunocompetence of nestling great tits in relation to rearing environment and parentage
Type
article
Institution
Externe
Auteur(s)
Brinkhof, Martin W.G
Auteure/Auteur
Heeb, Philipp
Auteure/Auteur
Kölliker, Mathias
Auteure/Auteur
Richner, Heinz
Auteure/Auteur
Liens vers les personnes
ISSN
0962-8452
Statut éditorial
Publié
Date de publication
1999-11-22
Volume
266
Numéro
1435
Première page
2315
Dernière page/numéro d’article
2322
Langue
anglais
Résumé
Theoretical models of host?parasite coevolution assume a partially genetic basis to the variability in susceptibility to parasites among hosts, for instance as a result of genetic variation in immune function. However, few empirical data exist for free-living vertebrate hosts to support this presumption. In a cross-fostering experiment with nestling great tits, by comparing nestlings of the same origin we investigated (i) the variance in host resistance against an ectoparasite due to a common genetic origin, (ii) the effect of ectoparasite infestation on cell- mediated immunity and (iii) the variance in cell-mediated immunity due to a common genetic origin. Ectoparasitic hen fleas can impair the growth of nestling great tits and nestling growth was therefore taken as a measure of host susceptibility. A common origin did not account for a significant part of the variation in host susceptibility to fleas. There was no significant overall effect of fleas on nestling growth or cell-mediated immunity, as assessed by a cutaneous hypersensitivity response. A common rearing environment explained a significant part of the variation in cell-mediated immunity among nestlings, mainly through its effect on nestling body mass. The variation in cell-mediated immunity was also related to a common origin. However, the origin-related variation in body mass did not account for the origin-related differences in cell-mediated immunity. The results of the present study thus suggest heritable variation in cell-mediated immunity among nestling great tits.
PID Serval
serval:BIB_1549CBDE0C05
Date de création
2007-11-19T08:36:05.618Z
Date de création dans IRIS
2025-05-20T16:43:19Z