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Trace metals, melanin-based pigmentation and their interaction influence immune parameters in feral pigeons (Columba livia)

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Abstract

Understanding the effects of trace metals emitted by anthropogenic activities on wildlife is of great concern in urban ecology; yet, information on how they affect individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems remains scarce. In particular, trace metals may impact survival by altering the immune system response to parasites. Plumage melanin is assumed to influence the effects of trace metals on immunity owing to its ability to bind metal ions in feathers and its synthesis being coded by a pleiotropic gene. We thus hypothesized that trace metal exposure would interact with plumage colouration in shaping immune response. We experimentally investigated the interactive effect between exposure to an environmentally relevant range of zinc and/or lead and melanin-based plumage colouration on components of the immune system in feral pigeons (Columba livia). We found that zinc increased anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) IgY primary response maintenance, buffered the negative effect of lead on anti-KLH IgY secondary response maintenance and tended to increase T-cell mediated phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) skin response. Lead decreased the peak of the anti-KLH IgY secondary response. In addition, pheomelanic pigeons exhibited a higher secondary anti-KLH IgY response than did eumelanic ones. Finally, T-cell mediated PHA skin response decreased with increasing plumage eumelanin level of birds exposed to lead. Neither treatments nor plumage colouration correlated with endoparasite intensity. Overall, our study points out the effects of trace metals on some parameters of birds’ immunity, independently from other confounding urbanization factors, and underlines the need to investigate their impacts on other life history traits and their consequences in the ecology and evolution of host–parasite interactions.

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Acknowledgments

All experiments were conducted under the authorizations of the “Ministère de l’éducation nationale, de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche” (Authorization N_00093.02) and the “Direction Départementale des Services Vétérinaires de Seine et-Marne” (Authorization N_77-05). We thank the “Mairie de Paris” (Thomas Charachon) for allowing the capture of birds. The Centre de Recherche en Ecologie Expérimentale et Prédictive (CEREEP) provided logistic support for the field work of this study. We thank S. Leclaire, T. Gayet, S. Pollet, S. Hasnaoui, F. Lorente, S. Perret and B. Decencière for their help all along the field work, C. Haussy for the realisation of the laboratory work and E. Aubry for metals analysis.

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  1. Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UPEC, Paris 7, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Institut d’Ecologie et des Sciences de l’Environnement de Paris, 75005, Paris, France

    M. Chatelain, J. Gasparini & A. Frantz

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  1. M. Chatelain
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  2. J. Gasparini
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  3. A. Frantz
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Correspondence to M. Chatelain.

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Chatelain, M., Gasparini, J. & Frantz, A. Trace metals, melanin-based pigmentation and their interaction influence immune parameters in feral pigeons (Columba livia). Ecotoxicology 25, 521–529 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1610-5

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