The Relationship Between Morphological Symmetry and Immune Response in Wild-Caught Adult Bush-Crickets

Abstract

Despite interest in the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry (FA), immune response and ecological factors in insects, little data are available from wild populations. In this study we measured FA and immune response in 370 wild-caught male bush-crickets, Metrioptera roeseli, from 20 experimentally introduced populations in southern-central Sweden. Individuals with more-symmetric wings had a higher immune response as measured by the cellular encapsulation of a surgically-implanted nylon monofilament. However, we found no relationship between measures of FA in other organs (i.e. tibia and maxillary palp) and immune response, suggesting that this pattern may reflect differing selection pressures

Keywords

artificial parasite; experiment; fluctuating asymmetry; developmental instability; wings; grasshopper; Roesel's bush cricket; Orthoptera; connectivity

Published in

Symmetry
2009, volume: 1, number: 2, pages: 106-114

SLU Authors

• Berggren, Åsa

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Low, Matthew

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/sym1020106

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/26777