1
|
Ramírez-Otarola N, Maldonado K, Valdés-Ferranty F, Newsome SD, Sabat P. Seasonal changes in diet, immune function, and oxidative stress in three passerines inhabiting a Mediterranean climate. Oecologia 2023; 203:395-405. [PMID: 37950102 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05474-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Oxidative status and immune function are energy-demanding traits closely linked to diet composition, particularly resource availability and nutritional value. In seasonal environments, nutrient availability and diet quality fluctuate, potentially influencing these traits. However, limited evidence exists regarding these dietary effects on immune function in seasonal environments. In this study, we employed stable isotope analysis to assess the impact of seasonal changes in niche width and trophic level (i.e., δ15N) on two immune variables (hemolysis and hemagglutination scores) and two oxidative status parameters (lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant capacity) in three passerine species: Zonotrichia capensis (omnivorous), Troglodytes aedon (insectivorous), and Spinus barbatus (granivorous). We found that hemolysis scores varied seasonally in Z. capensis, with higher values in winter compared to summer. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) also increased during the winter in Z. capensis and S. barbatus. The isotopic niche width for Z. capensis and S. barbatus was smaller in winter than in summer, with the omnivorous species exhibiting a decrease in δ15N. Despite the seasonal shifts in ecological and physiological traits in Z. capensis, we identified no correlation between immune response and TAC with trophic level. In contrast, in the granivorous S. barbatus, the lower trophic level resulted in an increase in TAC without affecting immunity. Our findings revealed that dietary shifts do not uniformly impact oxidative status and immune function across bird species, highlighting species-specific responses to seasonal changes. This underscores the importance of integrating ecological and evolutionary perspectives when examining how diet shapes avian immunity and oxidative balance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Ramírez-Otarola
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide 5750, Huechuraba, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Karin Maldonado
- Departamento de Ciencias, Facultad de Artes Liberales, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Fernanda Valdés-Ferranty
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Seth D Newsome
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Pablo Sabat
- Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Driessen MMG, Versteegh MA, Gerritsma YH, Tieleman BI, Pen IR, Verhulst S. Effects of manipulated food availability and seasonality on innate immune function in a passerine. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2400-2411. [PMID: 36268692 PMCID: PMC10092825 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The innate immune system is essential for survival, yet many immune traits are highly variable between and within individuals. In recent years, attention has shifted to the role of environmental factors in modulating this variation. A key environmental factor is food availability, which plays a major role in shaping life histories, and may affect resource allocation to immune function through its effect on nutritional state. We developed a technique to permanently increase foraging costs in seed-eating birds, and leveraged this technique to study the effects of food availability on the innate immune system over a 3-year period in 230 zebra finches housed in outdoor aviaries. The immune components we studied were haptoglobin, ovotransferrin, nitric oxide, natural antibodies through agglutination, complement-mediated lysis, and killing capacity of Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, covering a broad spectrum of the innate immune system. We explored the effects of food availability in conjunction with other potentially important variables: season, age, sex and manipulated natal brood size. Increased foraging costs affected multiple components of the immune system, albeit in a variable way. Nitric oxide and agglutination levels were lower under harsh foraging conditions, while Escherichia coli killing capacity was increased. Agglutination levels also varied seasonally, but only at low foraging costs. C. albicans killing capacity was lower in winter, and even more so for animals in harsh foraging conditions that were raised in large broods. Effects of food availability on ovotransferrin were also seasonal, and only apparent in males. Haptoglobin levels were independent of foraging costs and season. Males had higher levels of immune function than females for three of the measured immune traits. Innate immune function was independent of age and manipulated natal brood size. Our finding that food availability affects innate immune function suggests that fitness effects of food availability may at least partially be mediated by effects on the immune system. However, food availability effects on innate immunity varied in direction between traits, illustrating the complexity of the immune system and precluding conclusions on the level of disease resistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ido R Pen
- University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ndithia HK, Matson KD, Muchai M, Tieleman BI. Immune function differs among tropical environments but is not downregulated during reproduction in three year-round breeding equatorial lark populations. Oecologia 2021; 197:599-614. [PMID: 34636981 PMCID: PMC8585810 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05052-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Seasonal variation in immune function can be attributed to life history trade-offs, and to variation in environmental conditions. However, because phenological stages and environmental conditions co-vary in temperate and arctic zones, their separate contributions have not been determined. We compared immune function and body mass of incubating (female only), chick-feeding (female and male), and non-breeding (female and male) red-capped larks Calandrella cinerea breeding year-round in three tropical equatorial (Kenya) environments with distinct climates. We measured four immune indices: haptoglobin, nitric oxide, agglutination, and lysis. To confirm that variation in immune function between breeding (i.e., incubating or chick-feeding) and non-breeding was not confounded by environmental conditions, we tested if rainfall, average minimum temperature (Tmin), and average maximum temperature (Tmax) differed during sampling times among the three breeding statuses per location. Tmin and Tmax differed between chick-feeding and non-breeding, suggesting that birds utilized environmental conditions differently in different locations for reproduction. Immune indices did not differ between incubating, chick-feeding and non-breeding birds in all three locations. There were two exceptions: nitric oxide was higher during incubation in cool and wet South Kinangop, and it was higher during chick-feeding in the cool and dry North Kinangop compared to non-breeding birds in these locations. For nitric oxide, agglutination, and lysis, we found among-location differences within breeding stage. In equatorial tropical birds, variation in immune function seems to be better explained by among-location climate-induced environmental conditions than by breeding status. Our findings raise questions about how within-location environmental variation relates to and affects immune function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Henry K Ndithia
- Ornithology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi, 00100 GPO, Kenya. .,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Kevin D Matson
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Sciences Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Muchane Muchai
- Department of Clinical Studies (Wildlife and Conservation), College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - B Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Demina I, Tsvey A. Total white blood cell counts but not HL ratio changes in the transition from post-juvenile molt to autumn migration in the first-year Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla). JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2021; 337:159-170. [PMID: 34609791 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Theoretically, seasonal changes in immune functioning in animals are shaped by the trade-off between a probability of encountering pathogens and availability of resources. We used leukocyte profile (absolute and relative leukocyte counts) as a simple measure of immune system condition to study how it changes during the transition from postjuvenile molt to autumn migration in a free-living migratory songbird, the Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla). We observed the higher white blood cells (WBC) and lymphocyte counts in molting birds compared to migrating individuals, but we did not find differences in heterophils and ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes (HL ratio). We suppose that the high number of WBC in molting blackcaps could reflect the heightened ability of their immune system to resists infections. The lower WBC counts in migrants compared to molting birds were mostly due to reduced lymphocyte numbers, thus representing in a downregulation of specific immunity. An absence of heterophil differences between molt and migration might indicate that various components of immunity can change relatively independently (or at different pace). Fat scores had no effect on WBC counts and HL ratio. Therefore, we found no strong evidence for a resource-immune functionality trade-off during transition from postjuvenile molt to autumn migration in immature Eurasian blackcap. This study is an important step in understanding how immune system in general and leukocyte profile in particular changes in transition between life-history stages in migratory songbirds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irina Demina
- Biological Station Rybachy, Zoological Institute of RAS, Rybachy, Kaliningrad Reg., Russia
| | - Arseny Tsvey
- Biological Station Rybachy, Zoological Institute of RAS, Rybachy, Kaliningrad Reg., Russia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Schultz EM, Gunning CE, Cornelius JM, Reichard DG, Klasing KC, Hahn TP. Patterns of annual and seasonal immune investment in a temporal reproductive opportunist. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192993. [PMID: 32576107 PMCID: PMC7329054 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Historically, investigations of how organismal investments in immunity fluctuate in response to environmental and physiological changes have focused on seasonally breeding organisms that confine reproduction to seasons with relatively unchallenging environmental conditions and abundant resources. The red crossbill, Loxia curvirostra, is a songbird that can breed opportunistically if conifer seeds are abundant, on both short, cold, and long, warm days, providing an ideal system to investigate environmental and reproductive effects on immunity. In this study, we measured inter- and intra-annual variation in complement, natural antibodies, PIT54 and leucocytes in crossbills across four summers (2010-2013) and multiple seasons within 1 year (summer 2011-spring 2012). Overall, we observed substantial changes in crossbill immune investment among summers, with interannual variation driven largely by food resources, while variation across multiple seasons within a single cone year was less pronounced and lacked a dominant predictor of immune investment. However, we found weak evidence that physiological processes (e.g. reproductive condition, moult) or abiotic factors (e.g. temperature, precipitation) affect immune investment. Collectively, this study suggests that a reproductively flexible organism may be able to invest in both reproduction and survival-related processes, potentially by exploiting rich patches with abundant resources. More broadly, these results emphasize the need for more longitudinal studies of trade-offs associated with immune investment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M. Schultz
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behaviour, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Christian E. Gunning
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Affiliated Scholar, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, USA
| | - Jamie M. Cornelius
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | - Kirk C. Klasing
- Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Thomas P. Hahn
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behaviour, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Shaheen MS, Mehmood S, Mahmud A, Riaz A. Effects of different mating strategies in broiler breeder during peak and postpeak phase on subsequent broiler performance. Poult Sci 2020; 99:3501-3510. [PMID: 32616245 PMCID: PMC7597820 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.03.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Two experimental trials on commercial broiler (Ross-308) were conducted to evaluate the carryover effect of artificial insemination (AI) in parent flock (PF) kept in cages (C), and on floor (F) in comparison to natural mating (NM) in floored PF. A total of 900 broiler chicks were obtained from 38-week-old PF (peak production), representing C, F, and NM evenly during first trial, whereas in second trial, similar number of chicks were obtained from same PF during postpeak phase (55 wk of age). Subsequent effects of AI and NM in PF were evaluated by bacteriology, posthatch mortality, growth performance, immune response, and carcass traits on experimental birds (broiler). Chicks being produced through NM exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved growth performance (feed conversion ratio, weight gain, European efficiency factor) along with the least (P ≤ 0.05) posthatch mortality and prevalence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Pullorum, and Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Moreover, the experimental chicks obtained from floored PF subjected to AI particularly during postpeak phase expressed the highest (P ≤ 0.05) contamination of the said pathogens along with posthatch mortality. However, immune response against New Castle disease and infectious bronchitis vaccines and slaughtering parameters remained nonsignificant (P > 0.05) among the 3 treatments under both trials. It is concluded that the best growth performance along with the least depletion and microbial load of concerned pathogens were being pertained by the experimental birds representing NM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Shabir Shaheen
- Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
| | - Shahid Mehmood
- Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Athar Mahmud
- Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Animal Production and Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Amjad Riaz
- Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|