Human disturbance alters endocrine and immune responses in the Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

French, Susannah S.; DeNardo, Dale F.; Greives, Timothy J.; Strand, Christine R.; Demas, Gregory E.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.08.001

Cited by 141 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…While studies in another snake species found higher immune responses in females (Saad and Shoukrey 1988;Saad 1989), two studies in turtles reported no sex differences (Muñoz and De la Fuente 2001b; Keller et al 2006). On the other hand, the lack of sex differences in innate immunity parallels findings in water pythons (Ujvari and Madsen 2011) and marine iguanas (French et al 2010). Differential investment in immune function by the sexes is widespread in animals, although not universal, with females generally showing higher immune responses than males (Rolff 2002;Nunn et al 2009).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Complex Interplay of Body Condition, Life History, and Prevailing Environment Shapes Immune Defenses of Garter Snakes in the Wild

Palacios¹,

Cunnick²,

Bronikowski³

2013

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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The immunocompetence "pace-of-life" hypothesis proposes that fast-living organisms should invest more in innate immune defenses and less in adaptive defenses compared to slow-living ones. We found some support for this hypothesis in two lifehistory ecotypes of the snake Thamnophis elegans; fast-living individuals show higher levels of innate immunity compared to slow-living ones. Here, we optimized a lymphocyte proliferation assay to assess the complementary prediction that slowliving snakes should in turn show stronger adaptive defenses. We also assessed the "environmental" hypothesis that predicts that slow-living snakes should show lower levels of immune defenses (both innate and adaptive) given the harsher environment they live in. Proliferation of B-and T-lymphocytes of free-living individuals was on average higher in fast-living than slow-living snakes, opposing the pace-of-life hypothesis and supporting the environmental hypothesis. Bactericidal capacity of plasma, an index of innate immunity, did not differ between fast-living and slow-living snakes in this study, contrasting the previously documented pattern and highlighting the importance of annual environmental conditions as determinants of immune profiles of free-living animals. Our results do not negate a link between life history and immunity, as indicated by ecotype-specific relationships between lymphocyte proliferation and body condition, but suggest more subtle nuances than those currently proposed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Complex Interplay of Body Condition, Life History, and Prevailing Environment Shapes Immune Defenses of Garter Snakes in the Wild

Palacios¹,

Cunnick²,

Bronikowski³

2013

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…Most studies on this subject in free-living species have been correlational and so there is limited support for a causal relationship between elevated glucocorticoids during stress and immunosuppression (Berger et al, 2005;Lindström et al, 2005;Matson et al, 2006;French et al, 2010;Kuhlman and Martin, 2010;Hopkins and Durant, 2011). By manipulating endogenous plasma CORT while controlling for the presence of the stressful stimulus, our results suggest a causal relationship between elevated plasma CORT during stress and the suppression of innate immunity.…”

Section: Stress-induced Suppression Of Innate Immune Constituentsmentioning

confidence: 60%

Corticosterone rapidly suppresses innate immune activity in the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Gao

Sanchez

Deviche

2016

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Stress-induced effects on innate immune activity in wild birds have been difficult to predict. These difficulties may arise from the frequent assumptions that (1) the stress response influences different components of the immune response similarly, (2) stress-induced effects do not change over the course of the stress response and (3) glucocorticoids are the primary regulators of stress-induced changes of immune activity. We tested the first two assumptions by measuring three components of innate immunity at two times during the stress response in captive adult male house sparrows, Passer domesticus. Acute stress resulting from handling and restraint suppressed plasma lytic and microbicidal activity within 10 min and reduced plasma agglutination ability within 120 min. We tested the third assumption by measuring stress-induced effects in sparrows that were pharmacologically adrenalectomized by mitotane administration. Confirming the effectiveness of this treatment, mitotane-treated birds had lower pre-stress plasma CORT than control birds and showed no increase in plasma CORT during acute stress. The innate immune activity of mitotane-treated birds did not decrease during the stress response, but the pre-stress immune activity of these birds did not differ from that of vehicle-treated birds. These results suggest that elevated plasma CORT during stress is primarily responsible for mediating stress-induced suppression of innate immune activity.

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“…In addition, individuals residing in disturbed areas are exposed to a different array of stressors relative to their counterparts in non-disturbed areas. These stressors may impose substantial physiological constraints, such that fitness may be significantly affected in the long term, or individuals may be forced to alter their behavior and life history strategies (Ditchkoff et al 2006, French et al 2010.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using non-conspicuous metrics to examine selected impacts of disturbance on a long-lived reptile

Knapp¹,

Perez-Heydrich²

2012

Endang. Species. Res.

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Loss or disturbance of habitat often results in landscapes being fragmented into a series of isolated remnants varying in size, quality, and conservation value. Habitat disturbance has deleterious consequences for ecosystem processes, but can have varying effects on species persistence. Many deleterious effects on species post-disturbance are obvious, yet some are more subtle and can elude detection in long-lived species. We used more subtle metrics to evaluate populations of endangered iguanas Iguana delicatissima inhabiting disturbed (i.e. low-to moderate-density villages and towns) and non-disturbed areas on the island of Dominica, West Indies. We investigated differences in iguana sex ratios, asymptotic size, characteristic growth rate, body condition, abundance, and densities between our defined disturbed and non-disturbed habitats. Contrary to expectations, there were no statistical effects of disturbed areas on density, sex ratio, body condition, or characteristic growth rates, yet there was a slight positive effect on asymptotic body size for iguanas on Dominica. Despite these results, I. delicatissima is still affected adversely by manifold threats, as evidenced by the continued precipitous declines and local extirpations of the species across its range. Our results do, however, suggest that if factors such as degraded nest sites and killing by non-native mammalian predators are mitigated, then moderately disturbed, human-occupied areas can be managed as corridors or buffer zones for I. delicatissima in an increasingly fragmented landscape.

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Human disturbance alters endocrine and immune responses in the Galapagos marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

Cited by 141 publications

References 59 publications

Complex Interplay of Body Condition, Life History, and Prevailing Environment Shapes Immune Defenses of Garter Snakes in the Wild

Complex Interplay of Body Condition, Life History, and Prevailing Environment Shapes Immune Defenses of Garter Snakes in the Wild

Corticosterone rapidly suppresses innate immune activity in the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Using non-conspicuous metrics to examine selected impacts of disturbance on a long-lived reptile

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