A1 Journal article – refereed
Activation of the immune system promotes insect dispersal in the wild
List of Authors: Suhonen J, Honkavaara J, Rantala MJ
Publisher: SPRINGER
Publication year: 2010
Journal: Oecologia
Journal name in source: OECOLOGIA
Journal acronym: OECOLOGIA
Number in series: 3
Volume number: 162
Issue number: 3
Number of pages: 7
ISSN: 0029-8549
Abstract
Dispersal has important ecological and evolutionary consequences but is a poorly understood behaviour. We experimentally tested whether activation of the immune system affects dispersal in male damselflies, Calopteryx virgo, from three natural populations. We show that males that contained an experimentally inserted artificial pathogen, a nylon monofilament implant, had higher dispersal rates and flew further than control males, but not further than sham manipulated males. Our data suggest that dispersal may reduce the risk of further infections if immune system activation indicates high parasite infection risk in the present habitat. We, thus, suggest that parasites may play an important role in the evolution of host dispersal.