Open AccessImmune response impairs learning in free-flying bumble-bees
Author(s) -
Abdulrahman Abdullah Alghamdi,
Louisa Dalton,
A. Phillis,
Ezio Rosato,
Eamonn B. Mallon
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
biology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.596
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1744-957X
pISSN - 1744-9561
DOI - 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0331
Subject(s) - biology , foraging , immune system , parasite hosting , host (biology) , bombus terrestris , zoology , ecology , immunology , pollen , pollinator , pollination , world wide web , computer science
Parasites can influence different host behaviours including foraging, mate choice and predator avoidance. Several recent papers have shown reduced learning abilities in infected insects. However, it is difficult to separate the effects of the immune response from the direct effects of the parasite. Using a free-flying learning paradigm, this paper shows that learning performance is impaired in bumble-bees (Bombus terrestris) that are not infected but whose immune system is stimulated non-pathogenically. This demonstrates that before it is assumed that a parasite has a direct effect on a host's behaviour, the effect of the immune response stimulated by the parasite must first be quantified.