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A Gull Species Recognizes MHC-II Diversity and Dissimilarity Using Odor Cues

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Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 15 (CSiV 2021)

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Abstract

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a crucial role in the resistance to parasites in vertebrates and is thus often suggested to be an important force driving social interactions, including mating preference. However, the phenotypic cues used by individuals to assess the MHC characteristics of conspecifics are generally unknown. Here, we used behavioral tests to investigate whether, in black-legged kittiwakes, females use odor cues to distinguish male MHC-II diversity and MHC-II dissimilarity. We found that females took less time to peck at an odor sample coming from a male with high or low MHC-II diversity compared to intermediate MHC-II diversity. However, this result is due to the single individual who has only one MHC-II allele. When excluding this individual, females took less time to peck at an odor sample coming from a male with high MHC-II diversity. In addition, when the odor sample came from a male with higher MHC-II dissimilarity, females took less time to peck at the sample, but once they pecked at it, they delayed the use of the sample. Altogether, our results add evidence for olfactory recognition of MHC characteristics in birds, but further studies are needed to determine whether kittiwakes use this ability to optimize fitness.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to T. Rinaud and C. Maillotte for their help in the field. This study is part of the Laboratoire d’Excellence (LABEX) entitled TULIP (ANR-10- LABX-41). This work was supported by grants from the French Polar Institute (IPEV; Program 1162 to SL) and the Fondation Fyssen (to SL).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB, UMR 5174), Université de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France

    Maxime Pineaux, Pierrick Blanchard, Léa Ribeiro & Sarah Leclaire

  2. Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, AK, USA

    Scott A. Hatch

Authors
  1. Maxime Pineaux
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  2. Pierrick Blanchard
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  3. Léa Ribeiro
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  4. Scott A. Hatch
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  5. Sarah Leclaire
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah Leclaire .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Development of Olfactory Communicationand Cognition Laboratory, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation CNRS, Université de BourgogneInrae-Institut Agro Dijon, Dijon, France

    Benoist Schaal

  2. Development of Olfactory Communicationand Cognition Laboratory, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation CNRS, Université de BourgogneInrae-Institut Agro Dijon, Dijon, France

    Diane Rekow

  3. Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Inrae, CNRS, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France

    Matthieu Keller

  4. Development of Olfactory Communicationand Cognition Laboratory, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l’Alimentation CNRS, Université de BourgogneInrae-Institut Agro Dijon, Dijon, France

    Fabrice Damon

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Pineaux, M., Blanchard, P., Ribeiro, L., Hatch, S.A., Leclaire, S. (2023). A Gull Species Recognizes MHC-II Diversity and Dissimilarity Using Odor Cues. In: Schaal, B., Rekow, D., Keller, M., Damon, F. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 15. CSiV 2021. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35159-4_7

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