Immune challenge affects reproductive behaviour in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata).

ABSTRACT: Immunocompetence and reproduction are among the most important determinants of fitness. However, energetic and metabolic constraints create conflict between these two life-history traits. While many studies have explored the relationship between immune activity and reproductive fitness in birds and mammals inoculated with bacterial endotoxin, very few have focused on fish. Fish have been neglected in this area due, in part, to the claim that they are largely resistant to the immune effects of endotoxins. However, the present study suggests that they are susceptible to significant effects with respect to reproductive behaviour. Here, we examined the reproductive behaviour of male guppies following exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in comparison to that of male guppies in a con

SUBMITTER: Encel SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10410201 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature