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Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on October 6, 2004
Behavioral Ecology 2005 16(2):346-351; doi:10.1093/beheco/arh168
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Behavioral Ecology vol. 16 no. 2 © International Society for Behavioral Ecology 2004; all rights reserved.

Female choice and male humoral immune response in the lekking great snipe (Gallinago media)

Robert Ekbloma, Stein Are Sæthera,b, Dennis Hasselquistc, David Hannersjöa,d, Peder Fiskee, John Atle Kålåse and Jacob Höglunda

a Population Biology/Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyv.18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden; b Evolutionary Biology/Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyv.18D, SE-752 36 Uppsala, Sweden; c Animal Ecology, Ecology Building, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden; d Department of Aquaculture, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden; e Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tungasletta 2, N-7485, Trondheim, Norway

Address correspondence to R. Ekblom. E-mail: robert.ekblom{at}ebc.uu.se.

Parasites and diseases constitute major evolutionary forces in many natural populations, and thus having an efficient immune defense to resist infections is crucial for many organisms. Properties of the immune response may also influence mate choice decisions in many animals. Theory predicts several advantages for females when choosing males with superior immune systems. These benefits can be both direct (e.g. increased paternal care and reduced disease transmission) and indirect (good genes). We have investigated female choice with respect to antibody response to two novel antigens in males of a lekking bird, the great snipe (Gallinago media). Because of the lek mating system, female choice probably mainly incurs indirect (genetic) rather than direct benefits. Males responded to vaccination with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids by producing specific antibodies to both antigens. Triggering the immune system had no negative impact on display activities or survival. Males that were chosen by females as mates had on average higher antibody response to the tetanus antigen than their neighbors. We did not, however, find any covariance between the strength of the antibody response and male mating success.

Key words: bird, ELISA, humoral immunocompetence, lek, mate choice.


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