The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction
Abstract The strategic allocation of resources into immunity poses a unique challenge for individuals, where infection at different stages of development may result in unique trade‐offs with concurrent physiological processes or future fitness‐enhancing traits. Here, we experimentally induced an imm...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8774 |
| _version_ | 1797924572569272320 |
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| author | Daniel J. Breiner Matthew R. Whalen Amy M. Worthington |
| author_facet | Daniel J. Breiner Matthew R. Whalen Amy M. Worthington |
| author_sort | Daniel J. Breiner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The strategic allocation of resources into immunity poses a unique challenge for individuals, where infection at different stages of development may result in unique trade‐offs with concurrent physiological processes or future fitness‐enhancing traits. Here, we experimentally induced an immune challenge in female Gryllus firmus crickets to test whether illness at discrete life stages differentially impacts fitness. We injected heat‐killed Serratia marcescens bacteria into antepenultimate juveniles, penultimate juveniles, sexually immature adults, and sexually mature adults, and then measured body growth, instar duration, mating rate, viability of stored sperm, egg production, oviposition rate, and egg viability. Immune activation significantly impacted reproductive traits, where females that were immune challenged as adults had decreased mating success and decreased egg viability compared to healthy individuals or females that were immune challenged as juveniles. Although there was no effect of an immune challenge on the other traits measured, the stress of handling resulted in reduced mass gain and smaller adult body size in females from the juvenile treatments, and females in the adult treatments suffered from reduced viability of sperm stored within their spermatheca. In summary, we found that an immune challenge does have negative impacts on reproduction, but also that even minor acute stressors can have significant impacts on fitness‐enhancing traits. These findings highlight that the factors affecting fitness can be complex and at times unpredictable, and that the consequences of illness are specific to when during an individual's life an immune challenge is induced. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T15:03:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77a35f8c1b5b4ae19dc759227b6634c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T15:03:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-77a35f8c1b5b4ae19dc759227b6634c82023-02-15T09:01:28ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582022-04-01124n/an/a10.1002/ece3.8774The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproductionDaniel J. Breiner0Matthew R. Whalen1Amy M. Worthington2Department of Biological Sciences Creighton University Omaha Nebraska USADepartment of Biological Sciences Creighton University Omaha Nebraska USADepartment of Biological Sciences Creighton University Omaha Nebraska USAAbstract The strategic allocation of resources into immunity poses a unique challenge for individuals, where infection at different stages of development may result in unique trade‐offs with concurrent physiological processes or future fitness‐enhancing traits. Here, we experimentally induced an immune challenge in female Gryllus firmus crickets to test whether illness at discrete life stages differentially impacts fitness. We injected heat‐killed Serratia marcescens bacteria into antepenultimate juveniles, penultimate juveniles, sexually immature adults, and sexually mature adults, and then measured body growth, instar duration, mating rate, viability of stored sperm, egg production, oviposition rate, and egg viability. Immune activation significantly impacted reproductive traits, where females that were immune challenged as adults had decreased mating success and decreased egg viability compared to healthy individuals or females that were immune challenged as juveniles. Although there was no effect of an immune challenge on the other traits measured, the stress of handling resulted in reduced mass gain and smaller adult body size in females from the juvenile treatments, and females in the adult treatments suffered from reduced viability of sperm stored within their spermatheca. In summary, we found that an immune challenge does have negative impacts on reproduction, but also that even minor acute stressors can have significant impacts on fitness‐enhancing traits. These findings highlight that the factors affecting fitness can be complex and at times unpredictable, and that the consequences of illness are specific to when during an individual's life an immune challenge is induced.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8774cricketdevelopmentfecundityfitnessGryllusimmunity |
| spellingShingle | Daniel J. Breiner Matthew R. Whalen Amy M. Worthington The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction Ecology and Evolution cricket development fecundity fitness Gryllus immunity |
| title | The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction |
| title_full | The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction |
| title_fullStr | The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction |
| title_full_unstemmed | The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction |
| title_short | The developmental high wire: Balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction |
| title_sort | developmental high wire balancing resource investment in immunity and reproduction |
| topic | cricket development fecundity fitness Gryllus immunity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8774 |
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