Sexual healing: mating induces a protective immune response in bumblebees

Barribeau, SM ORCID: 0000-0001-6643-0562 and Schmid-Hempel, P (2017) Sexual healing: mating induces a protective immune response in bumblebees. JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, 30 (1). pp. 202-209.

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Abstract

The prevalence of sexual, as opposed to clonal, reproduction given the many costs associated with sexual recombination has been an enduring question in evolutionary biology. In addition to these often discussed costs, there are further costs associated with mating, including the induction of a costly immune response, which leaves individuals prone to infection. Here, we test whether mating results in immune activation and susceptibility to a common, ecologically important, parasite of bumblebees. We find that mating does result in immune activation as measured by gene expression of known immune genes, but that this activation improves resistance to this parasite. We conclude that although mating can corrupt immunity in some systems, it can also enhance immunity in others.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Bombus, Crithidia, gene expression, host-parasite interaction, immunocompetence, sex differences, sexual selection and conflicts, trypanosome
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	14 Feb 2017 11:09
Last Modified:	15 Mar 2024 02:41
DOI:	10.1111/jeb.12964
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3005782