Carotenoid Modulation of Immune Function and Sexual Attractiveness in Zebra Finches

Blount, Jonathan D.; Metcalfe, Neil B.; Birkhead, Tim R.; Surai, Peter F.

doi:10.1126/science.1082142

Cited by 581 publications

(582 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

550

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recent experimental studies have confirmed that males with greater access to carotenoids have more colourful ornamental displays, better antioxidant defences and can mount larger immune responses (e.g. Blount et al 2003;McGraw & Ardia 2003;Kolluru et al 2006;Kurtz et al 2006; but see Navara & Hill 2003). However, evidence of a link between carotenoid supply and adult survival has so far been correlational (Hill 1991;Hõrak et al 2001) and no previous study has explicitly tested how carotenoid supply may influence resistance to senescence or longevity, and how these competing demands affect their ability to allocate carotenoids to sexual signals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carotenoids, oxidative stress and female mating preference for longer lived males

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Some of the most spectacular exaggerated sexual ornaments are carotenoid dependent. It has been suggested that such ornaments have evolved because carotenoid pigments are limiting for both signal expression and in their role as antioxidants and immunostimulants. An implicit assumption of this hypothesis is that males which can afford to produce more elaborate carotenoid-dependent displays are signalling their enhanced ability to resist parasites, disease or oxidative stress and hence would be predicted to live longer. Therefore, in species with carotenoid-dependent ornaments where a parent's future longevity is crucial for determining offspring survival, there should be a mating preference for partners that present the lowest risk of mortality during the breeding attempt, as signalled by the ability to allocate carotenoids to sexual displays. In an experimental study using three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), we show that when dietary carotenoid intake is limited, males attempt to maintain their sexual ornament at the expense of body carotenoids and hence suffer from reduced reproductive investment and a shorter lifespan. These males also suffer from an increased susceptibility to oxidative stress, suggesting that this may constitute the mechanism underlying the increased rate of ageing. Furthermore, in pairwise matechoice trials, females preferred males that had a greater access to carotenoids and chance of surviving the breeding season, suggesting that females can make adaptive mate choice decisions based on a male's carotenoid status and potential future longevity.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carotenoids, oxidative stress and female mating preference for longer lived males

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thus, if the overall quality of a feather is low, then the white tip will wear off faster revealing the lower feather quality ( Fitzpatrick 1998;Kose & Møller 1999). Experimental studies on wild animals linking aspects of individual quality to ornament variation are still scarce, but for captive birds two recent studies on males in zebra finches and blackbirds have shown that manipulating immune function leads to rapid changes in bill colour (Blount et al 2003;Faivre et al 2003). In a previous observational study, we found that the size of the white fringes in the wing feathers of female common eiders correlated with previously experienced reproductive costs and immune function .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A label of health: a previous immune challenge is reflected in the expression of a female plumage trait

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Studies of ornaments as indicators of individual quality have hitherto focused on males, while studies of female ornaments have been almost absent. However, females within the same species may show large variation in both outer appearance and individual quality. We experimentally examined the effect of an immune challenge on the size of white fringes in the wing feathers produced one to two months after the challenge in female common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ), a long-lived sea duck. Immune-challenged females produced feathers with smaller white fringes, showing that a previous immune challenge may affect the expression of a plumage trait. We also report an unexpected difference in the expression of this white plumage trait within the immune-challenged group, related to the specific immune response against one of the injected antigens.

show abstract

“…(c) Laboratory analyses of antioxidants Antioxidants in plasma, liver and egg yolk were assessed by HPLC-based methods described earlier (Surai et al 2001a;Blount et al 2003). In brief, 15-30 ml of plasma was vortexed with an equal volume of 5% sodium chloride, plus two volumes of ethanol, 500 ml hexane was then added and vortexed.…”

Section: (B) Field Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antioxidants, radiation and mutation as revealed by sperm abnormality in barn swallows from Chernobyl

2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reduced levels of antioxidants such as carotenoids and vitamins A and E can increase DNA damage caused by free radicals. Exposure to radiation has been proposed to reduce levels of antioxidants that are used for DNA repair and this reduction may be responsible for increased levels of mutation in radioactively contaminated areas. We test this hypothesis using field measures of antioxidants in blood, liver and eggs of the barn swallow Hirundo rustica while relating these to levels of mutation as reflected by the frequency of abnormal sperm. Antioxidant levels in blood, liver and eggs were reduced in Chernobyl, Ukraine, compared with an uncontaminated control area, and levels of antioxidants correlated negatively with levels of background radiation. The frequency of abnormal sperm was almost an order of magnitude higher in Chernobyl than in the control area and was negatively related to antioxidant levels in blood and liver. This is consistent with the hypothesis of a direct link between radiation and individual levels of antioxidants, suggesting that levels of mutation differ among individuals owing to individual differences in the abundance of antioxidants.

show abstract

Carotenoid Modulation of Immune Function and Sexual Attractiveness in Zebra Finches

Cited by 581 publications

References 24 publications

Carotenoids, oxidative stress and female mating preference for longer lived males

Carotenoids, oxidative stress and female mating preference for longer lived males

A label of health: a previous immune challenge is reflected in the expression of a female plumage trait

Antioxidants, radiation and mutation as revealed by sperm abnormality in barn swallows from Chernobyl

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About