Mortality selection during the 2003 European heat wave in three-spined sticklebacks: effects of parasites and MHC genotype
Open access
Date
2008-04Type
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
Background
Ecological interaction strength may increase under environmental stress including temperature. How such stress enhances and interacts with parasite selection is almost unknown. We studied the importance of resistance genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II in 14 families of three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus exposed to their natural macroparasites in field enclosures in the extreme summer of 2003.
Results
After a mass die-off during the 2003-European heat wave killing 78% of 277 experimental fish, we found strong differences in survival among and within families. In families with higher average parasite load fewer individuals survived. Multivariate analysis revealed that the composition of the infecting parasite fauna was family specific. Within families, individuals with an intermediate number of MHC class IIB sequence variants survived best and had the lowest parasite load among survivors, suggesting a direct functional link between MHC diversity and fitness. The within family MHC effects were, however, small compared to between family effects, suggesting that other genetic components or non-genetic effects were also important.
Conclusion
The correlation between parasite load and mortality that we found at both individual and family level might have appeared only in the extraordinary heatwave of 2003. Due to global warming the frequency of extreme climatic events is predicted to increase, which might intensify costs of parasitism and enhance selection on immune genes. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-a-005751854Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
BMC Evolutionary BiologyVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
BioMed CentralSubject
Major histocompatibility complex; Major histocompatibility complex class; Parasite species; Parasite load; Infection itensityOrganisational unit
02720 - Institut für Integrative Biologie / Institute of Integrative Biology03330 - Schmid-Hempel, Paul
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ETH Bibliography
yes
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