No evidence of an immune adjustment in response to a parasitoid threat in Lobesia botrana larvae.
J Insect Physiol
; 102: 7-11, 2017 10.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28844653
Immune function is a key determinant of an organism's fitness, and natural insect populations are highly variable for this trait, mainly due to environmental heterogeneity and pathogen diversity. We previously reported a positive correlation between infection prevalence by parasitoids and host immunity in natural populations of the vineyard pest Lobesia botrana. Here, we tested whether this correlation reflects a plastic adjustment of host immunity in response to the local presence of parasites. To this end, we measured immunity of non-parasitized L. botrana larvae exposed, respectively, to one of the two most common species of parasitoids in vineyards, over 6days. Larvae were able to sense the parasitoid through visual, chemical, or mechanical cues, but contact larvae-parasitoid were excluded. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that L. botrana larvae did not increase their immune defenses in the presence of parasitoids, despite their ability to sense a potential threat. Our results therefore suggest that the positive correlation between infection prevalence by parasitoids and L. botrana immunity among natural populations may result from micro-evolutionary changes resulting from long-term local selection pressures imposed by parasitoids in wild populations rather than plastic adjustments of immunity.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Avispas
/
Mariposas Nocturnas
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Insect Physiol
Año:
2017
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido