Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon
Abstract Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms behind invasion success enables predicting which alien species and populations are the most predisposed to become invasive. Parasites may mediate the success of biological invasions through their effect on host fitness. The evolution of increased co...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41721-1 |
| _version_ | 1797452908276482048 |
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| author | Aleksandra Biedrzycka Maciej K. Konopiński Marcin Popiołek Marlena Zawiślak Magdalena Bartoszewicz Agnieszka Kloch |
| author_facet | Aleksandra Biedrzycka Maciej K. Konopiński Marcin Popiołek Marlena Zawiślak Magdalena Bartoszewicz Agnieszka Kloch |
| author_sort | Aleksandra Biedrzycka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms behind invasion success enables predicting which alien species and populations are the most predisposed to become invasive. Parasites may mediate the success of biological invasions through their effect on host fitness. The evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis assumes that escape from parasites during the invasion process allows introduced species to decrease investment in immunity and allocate resources to dispersal and reproduction. Consequently, the selective pressure of parasites on host species in the invasive range should be relaxed. We used the case of the raccoon Procyon lotor invasion in Europe to investigate the effect of gastrointestinal pathogen pressure on non-MHC immune genetic diversity of newly established invasive populations. Despite distinct differences in parasite prevalence between analysed populations, we detected only marginal associations between two analysed SNPs and infection intensity. We argue that the differences in parasite prevalence are better explained by detected earlier associations with specific MHC-DRB alleles. While the escape from native parasites seems to allow decreased investment in overall immunity, which relaxes selective pressure imposed on immune genes, a wide range of MHC variants maintained in the invasive range may protect from newly encountered parasites. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:15:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4baa9341383a489a9768d5c9544e602b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:15:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-4baa9341383a489a9768d5c9544e602b2023-11-26T13:07:22ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-011311910.1038/s41598-023-41721-1Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoonAleksandra Biedrzycka0Maciej K. Konopiński1Marcin Popiołek2Marlena Zawiślak3Magdalena Bartoszewicz4Agnieszka Kloch5Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of SciencesInstitute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of SciencesDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of WrocławDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of WrocławEkspertyzy PrzyrodniczeFaculty of Biology, University of WarsawAbstract Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms behind invasion success enables predicting which alien species and populations are the most predisposed to become invasive. Parasites may mediate the success of biological invasions through their effect on host fitness. The evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis assumes that escape from parasites during the invasion process allows introduced species to decrease investment in immunity and allocate resources to dispersal and reproduction. Consequently, the selective pressure of parasites on host species in the invasive range should be relaxed. We used the case of the raccoon Procyon lotor invasion in Europe to investigate the effect of gastrointestinal pathogen pressure on non-MHC immune genetic diversity of newly established invasive populations. Despite distinct differences in parasite prevalence between analysed populations, we detected only marginal associations between two analysed SNPs and infection intensity. We argue that the differences in parasite prevalence are better explained by detected earlier associations with specific MHC-DRB alleles. While the escape from native parasites seems to allow decreased investment in overall immunity, which relaxes selective pressure imposed on immune genes, a wide range of MHC variants maintained in the invasive range may protect from newly encountered parasites.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41721-1 |
| spellingShingle | Aleksandra Biedrzycka Maciej K. Konopiński Marcin Popiołek Marlena Zawiślak Magdalena Bartoszewicz Agnieszka Kloch Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon Scientific Reports |
| title | Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon |
| title_full | Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon |
| title_fullStr | Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon |
| title_short | Non-MHC immunity genes do not affect parasite load in European invasive populations of common raccoon |
| title_sort | non mhc immunity genes do not affect parasite load in european invasive populations of common raccoon |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41721-1 |
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