Immune activation generates corticosterone-mediated terminal reproductive investment in a wild bird.

ABSTRACT: Despite classical expectations of a trade-off between immune activity and reproduction, an emergent view suggests that individuals experiencing activation of their immune system actually increase reproductive effort and allocation to offspring as a form of terminal investment in response to reduced survival probability. However, the components and mechanisms of increased parental investment following immunostimulation are currently unknown. We hypothesize that increased glucocorticoid production following immunostimulation modulates the increase in reproductive effort that constitutes terminal investment. We activated the immune system of breeding female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) with an immunogen and cross-fostered the eggs that they subsequently produced to separate prenatal and po

SUBMITTER: Bowers EK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4443487 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature