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dr hab. Mariusz Cichoń
cichon@eko.uj.edu.pl |
Dep. of Population Ecology Inst. of Environmental Sciences Jagiellonian University Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków Poland tel. + 48 12 664 52 01 fax + 48 12 664 69 12 |
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Cichoń M.
ACTA OECOLOGICA
2001; 22: 71-76
Abstract:
In order to test whether high reproductive investments impair immune function in a naturally breeding Collared Flycatchers we performed a brood manipulation experiment and simultaneously induced an immune response by challenging birds with a non-pathogenic antigen - sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Females rearing experimentally enlarged number of nestlings showed significantly lower level of specific anti-SRBC antibodies than control females attending unaltered broods, but only in one of the two study years. The hemoconcentration of leukocytes did not differ between two groups in both study years. The significant difference in immunological responsiveness between control and enlarged group coincided with differences in survival probability to the next breeding season: females attending enlarged broods showed lower probability of survival than control females, but there was no relationship between the level of immune response and survival probability. Our results indicate that reproduction may indeed trade for resources with immune functions at least in terms of specific antibody production. However, as in the other studies on reproductive costs these costs seem to be not always pronounced.
d e s i g n e d b y P a w e ł K a p u s t a