Jackdaw nestlings rapidly increase innate immune function during the nestling phase but no evidence for a trade-off with growth
(2021) In Developmental and Comparative Immunology 117.- Abstract
Although animals are born with a protective immune system, even the innate immune system is under development from birth to adulthood and this development may be affected by sex and growth. However, most knowledge comes from captive animals or long-lived slow growing species. Moreover, little is known about how innate immune function, the important first line of defence, develops during early life in fast-growing animals such as free-living passerines. We studied development of innate baseline immune function in nestlings of free-living jackdaws Corvus monedula. We measured four immune parameters (hemolysis, hemagglutination, bacterial-killing capacity, haptoglobin concentration) and structural body size (body mass, wing length, tarsus... (More)
Although animals are born with a protective immune system, even the innate immune system is under development from birth to adulthood and this development may be affected by sex and growth. However, most knowledge comes from captive animals or long-lived slow growing species. Moreover, little is known about how innate immune function, the important first line of defence, develops during early life in fast-growing animals such as free-living passerines. We studied development of innate baseline immune function in nestlings of free-living jackdaws Corvus monedula. We measured four immune parameters (hemolysis, hemagglutination, bacterial-killing capacity, haptoglobin concentration) and structural body size (body mass, wing length, tarsus length) at day 12 and day 29 post-hatching. We found that three out of four immune parameters (hemolysis, hemagglutination, bacterial-killing capacity) substantially increased with nestling age and had roughly reached adult levels shortly prior to fledging. We found little differences in immune development between males and females despite them differing in structural development. We also found no evidence that the nestlings traded off immune development with growth. That nestlings rapidly increase innate baseline immune function during early life and similarly in males and females indicates the importance of a well-functioning immune system already during the nestling phase.
(Less)
- author
- Aastrup, Christian and Hegemann, Arne LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Avian physiology, Bird, Developmental period, Eco-immunology, Immunity, Ontogeny
- in
- Developmental and Comparative Immunology
- volume
- 117
- article number
- 103967
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:33316356
- scopus:85098211394
- ISSN
- 0145-305X
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.dci.2020.103967
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- bb58cd74-efc7-47e4-8cc9-7bb44ea02ce3
- date added to LUP
- 2021-01-04 10:42:14
- date last changed
- 2024-04-17 22:07:24
@article{bb58cd74-efc7-47e4-8cc9-7bb44ea02ce3,
abstract = {{<p>Although animals are born with a protective immune system, even the innate immune system is under development from birth to adulthood and this development may be affected by sex and growth. However, most knowledge comes from captive animals or long-lived slow growing species. Moreover, little is known about how innate immune function, the important first line of defence, develops during early life in fast-growing animals such as free-living passerines. We studied development of innate baseline immune function in nestlings of free-living jackdaws Corvus monedula. We measured four immune parameters (hemolysis, hemagglutination, bacterial-killing capacity, haptoglobin concentration) and structural body size (body mass, wing length, tarsus length) at day 12 and day 29 post-hatching. We found that three out of four immune parameters (hemolysis, hemagglutination, bacterial-killing capacity) substantially increased with nestling age and had roughly reached adult levels shortly prior to fledging. We found little differences in immune development between males and females despite them differing in structural development. We also found no evidence that the nestlings traded off immune development with growth. That nestlings rapidly increase innate baseline immune function during early life and similarly in males and females indicates the importance of a well-functioning immune system already during the nestling phase.</p>}},
author = {{Aastrup, Christian and Hegemann, Arne}},
issn = {{0145-305X}},
keywords = {{Avian physiology; Bird; Developmental period; Eco-immunology; Immunity; Ontogeny}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Developmental and Comparative Immunology}},
title = {{Jackdaw nestlings rapidly increase innate immune function during the nestling phase but no evidence for a trade-off with growth}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dci.2020.103967}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.dci.2020.103967}},
volume = {{117}},
year = {{2021}},
}