Abstract
The literature reveals that stress in early life or adulthood can influence immune function. As most studies on this are from the laboratory, there is a need for replicated studies in wild animals. This study aims to examine the effects of density stress during the maternal period and adulthood on immune traits of root vole (Microtus oeconomus) individuals. Four replicated high- and low-density parental populations were established, from which we obtained offspring and assigned each into four enclosures, two for each of the two density treatments used in establishing parental populations. The F1 offspring fecal corticosterone metabolite response to acute immobilization stress, anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin immunoglobulin G (anti-KLH IgG) level, phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-delayed hypersensitivity and hematology at the end of the first breeding season, and prevalence and intensity of coccidial infection throughout the two breeding seasons, were tested. Density-induced maternally stressed offspring had delayed responses to acute immobilization stress. Density-stressed offspring as adults had reduced anti-KLH IgG levels and PHA responses, and the effects further deteriorated in maternally stressed offspring, leading to higher coccidial infection in the first breeding season than in the second. No correlations were found between immune traits or coccidial infection and survival over winter. These findings indicated that the combined density stresses during the maternal period and adulthood exhibited negative synergistic effects on immune traits. The synergistic effects lead to higher coccidial infection; however, this consequently reduced the risk of subsequent infection. The increased coccidial infection mediated by the synergistic effects may have an adaptive value in the context of the environment.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Hui He for her assistance in the fecal sample collection and fieldwork. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31170394) and the Natural Science Foundation of Qinghai Province (grant no. 2014-ZJ-913).
Author contribution statement
J. H. B. and Y. W. conceived and designed the experiments. S. Y. D., Y. F. C., and X. H. N. performed the experiments. J. H. B. and S. Y. D. analyzed the data. S. Y. D. wrote the manuscript. J. H. B. provided editorial advice.
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Communicated by Michael Sheriff.
Immunity can influence individual fitness and regulate population dynamics in small mammals. As most studies are from the laboratory, there is a need for replicated studies in wild animals. Thus, exploring how immune function varies according to environmental variables that individuals experience may help to identify plasticity of life history traits and mechanisms driving population fluctuations of wild small mammals.
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Du, SY., Cao, YF., Nie, XH. et al. The synergistic effect of density stress during the maternal period and adulthood on immune traits of root vole (Microtus oeconomus) individuals—a field experiment. Oecologia 181, 335–346 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3445-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-015-3445-9