Bill colour and immunocompetence in the European blackbird

doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2142

Animal Behaviour

Volume 65, Issue 6, June 2003, Pages 1125-1131

https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.2003.2142 Get rights and content

Abstract

The level of expression of secondary sexual characters has been suggested to signal male ability to resist parasitic infestations. To test this idea, several studies have examined the link between sexual signals and immunocompetence in birds. However, most of them have used only a single aspect of immune response to evaluate immunocompetence. We investigated the relation between bill colour and immunocompetence in captive male European blackbirds, Turdus merula, during the breeding season by assessing both cell-mediated and humoral components of the immune system. The blackbird is a sexually dimorphic species with bill colour varying from yellow to orange in males. Humoral immunity was assessed by measuring both primary and secondary responses to sheep red blood cell inoculation. Cell-mediated immunity was estimated with a delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity response to an injection of a mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin). No relation was found between male bill colour and the primary humoral response. However, males with orange bills showed a lower secondary humoral response but a higher cell-mediated immune response than males with yellow bills. Thus, the relation between immunocompetence and a secondary sexual trait may differ markedly depending on which component of the immune system is under consideration. We discuss our results in relation to mechanisms involved in sexual selection. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

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Immune defenses vary widely across individuals and species. The field of evolutionary and ecological immunology (also recognized as ecoimmunology) seeks to uncover both the ultimate and proximate drivers of this variability. In this chapter, we review key research areas, techniques, and future directions in this field, with a specific focus on free-living birds, which serve as valuable models. Assays to assess immune function vary depending on the immunological pathways and parasites of interest as well as the ability to repeatedly sample free-living individuals. Several new field assays seek to measure innate immune responses. These include the inflammatory and acute-phase responses, which integrate physiological and behavioral changes following infection. Recent progress in avian immunogenetics suggests the links between major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or innate immune genes and ecological context of disease dynamics in several free-living bird species. Development of the immune system in free-living birds is still understudied, especially in altricial species that develop slowly in the nest. Maternal antibody transmission remains a critical area of study, as it can provide significant pathogen resistance benefits but may carry important costs to offspring immune ontogeny. Lastly, we discuss the important role of immune system costs, both in resources and immunopathology, in driving life history trade-offs and variation in sexually selected signals.
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^f1: Correspondence: B. Faivre, Equipe Ecologie Evolutive (UMR CNRS 5561), Université de Bourgogne, 6 Blvd Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France (email: [email protected]).

^f2: M. Théry is at Laboratoire d'Ecologie Générale, Equipe Evolution des Systèmes Sociaux (UMR CNRS 8571 ECOTROP), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 4 Avenue du Petit Château 91800 Brunoy, France.

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Regular ArticlesBill colour and immunocompetence in the European blackbird

Abstract

Journal of Nutrition

Journal of Dairy Science

Hormones and Behavior

Animal Behaviour

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Cellular and Molecular Immunology

The comparative serological response of the chicken, pheasant and quail to soluble and particulate antigen

Immunology

Sexual selection in the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata: condition, sex traits and immune capacity

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Stress, testosterone, and the immunoredistribution hypothesis

Behavioral Ecology

House finch pigmentation: carotenoid metabolism and the effect of diet

Auk

Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Vol. 5

Reproductive effort decreases antibody responsiveness

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B

Divorce in the European blackbird: seeking greener pastures?

A condition dependent link between testosterone and disease resistance in the house finch

Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B

Effects of testosterone on cell-mediated and humoral immunity in non-breeding adult European starlings

Behavioral Ecolology

On the measurement and classification of color in studies of animal color patterns

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society of London

Interacting effects of lek placement, display behavior, ambient light, and color patterns in three neotropical forest dwelling birds

American Naturalist

The effects of testosterone on antibody production and plumage coloration in male house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Parasites, bright males and the immunocompetence handicap

American Naturalist

The Nature of Animal Colours

Seasonal variation in the relationship between cellular immune response and badge size in male house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Immunocompetence and condition-dependent advertisement in male house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Journal of Animal Ecology

The Biochemistry of Carotenoids. Vol 2. Animals

Carotenoids and sexual dichromatism in North-American passerine birds

American Naturalist

Heritable true fitness and bright birds: a role for parasites?

Science

Interactions of androgens and estrogens in the modulation of social behavior in male songbirds

Is avian humoral immunocompetence suppressed by testosterone?

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

Regular Articles
Bill colour and immunocompetence in the European blackbird