Immune challenge reduces daily activity period in free-living birds for three weeks
(2023) In Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290(2005).- Abstract
Non-lethal infections are common in free-living animals and the associated sickness behaviours can impact crucial life-history trade-offs. However, little is known about the duration and extent of such sickness behaviours in free-living animals, and consequently how they affect life-history decisions. Here, free-living Eurasian blackbirds, Turdus merula, were immune-challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic a bacterial infection and their behaviour was monitored for up to 48 days using accelerometers. As expected, immune-challenged birds were less active than controls within the first 24 h. Unexpectedly, this reduced activity remained detectable for 20 days, before both groups returned to similar activity levels. Furthermore,... (More)
Non-lethal infections are common in free-living animals and the associated sickness behaviours can impact crucial life-history trade-offs. However, little is known about the duration and extent of such sickness behaviours in free-living animals, and consequently how they affect life-history decisions. Here, free-living Eurasian blackbirds, Turdus merula, were immune-challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic a bacterial infection and their behaviour was monitored for up to 48 days using accelerometers. As expected, immune-challenged birds were less active than controls within the first 24 h. Unexpectedly, this reduced activity remained detectable for 20 days, before both groups returned to similar activity levels. Furthermore, activity was positively correlated with a pre-experimental index of complement activity, but only in immune-challenged birds, suggesting that sickness behaviours are modulated by constitutive immune function. Differences in daily activity levels stemmed from immune-challenged birds resting earlier at dusk than control birds, while activity levels between groups were similar during core daytime hours. Overall, activity was reduced by 19% in immune-challenged birds and they were on average almost 1 h less active per day for 20 days. This unexpected longevity in sickness behaviour may have severe implications during energy-intense annual-cycle stages (e.g. breeding, migration, winter). Thus, our data help to understand the consequences of non-lethal infections on free-living animals.
(Less)
- author
- Lennon, Rosie J. LU ; Ronanki, Shivani LU and Hegemann, Arne LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-08-30
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- eco-immunology, eco-physiology, immunity, inflammation, life-history ecology, pathogen
- in
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- volume
- 290
- issue
- 2005
- article number
- 20230794
- pages
- 11 pages
- publisher
- Royal Society Publishing
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37583320
- scopus:85168061848
- ISSN
- 0962-8452
- DOI
- 10.1098/rspb.2023.0794
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6cf1caa6-38b1-432f-b5f5-bbd6c4653c10
- date added to LUP
- 2023-10-27 14:52:52
- date last changed
- 2024-04-19 02:57:46
@article{6cf1caa6-38b1-432f-b5f5-bbd6c4653c10,
abstract = {{<p>Non-lethal infections are common in free-living animals and the associated sickness behaviours can impact crucial life-history trade-offs. However, little is known about the duration and extent of such sickness behaviours in free-living animals, and consequently how they affect life-history decisions. Here, free-living Eurasian blackbirds, Turdus merula, were immune-challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic a bacterial infection and their behaviour was monitored for up to 48 days using accelerometers. As expected, immune-challenged birds were less active than controls within the first 24 h. Unexpectedly, this reduced activity remained detectable for 20 days, before both groups returned to similar activity levels. Furthermore, activity was positively correlated with a pre-experimental index of complement activity, but only in immune-challenged birds, suggesting that sickness behaviours are modulated by constitutive immune function. Differences in daily activity levels stemmed from immune-challenged birds resting earlier at dusk than control birds, while activity levels between groups were similar during core daytime hours. Overall, activity was reduced by 19% in immune-challenged birds and they were on average almost 1 h less active per day for 20 days. This unexpected longevity in sickness behaviour may have severe implications during energy-intense annual-cycle stages (e.g. breeding, migration, winter). Thus, our data help to understand the consequences of non-lethal infections on free-living animals.</p>}},
author = {{Lennon, Rosie J. and Ronanki, Shivani and Hegemann, Arne}},
issn = {{0962-8452}},
keywords = {{eco-immunology; eco-physiology; immunity; inflammation; life-history ecology; pathogen}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{08}},
number = {{2005}},
publisher = {{Royal Society Publishing}},
series = {{Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences}},
title = {{Immune challenge reduces daily activity period in free-living birds for three weeks}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0794}},
doi = {{10.1098/rspb.2023.0794}},
volume = {{290}},
year = {{2023}},
}