Preen secretions encode information on MHC similarity in certain sex-dyads in a monogamous seabird

Animals are known to select mates to maximize the genetic diversity of their offspring in order to achieve immunity against a broader range of pathogens. Although several bird species preferentially mate with partners that are dissimilar at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), it remains unkn...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: S Leclaire, Wouter Van Dongen, S Voccia, T Merkling, C Ducamp, SA Hatch, P Blanchard, É Danchin, RH Wagner
Format: Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Uncategorized
Alleles
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Avian Proteins
Charadriiformes
Female
Genetic Variation
Grooming
Histocompatibility Antigens
Male
Mating Preference
Animal
Molecular Sequence Data
Odorants
Scent Glands
Infectious Diseases
Black-legged Kittiwake
rissa tridactyla
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10779/DRO/DU:22029818.v1
https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Preen_secretions_encode_information_on_MHC_similarity_in_certain_sex-dyads_in_a_monogamous_seabird/22029818
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Summary:Animals are known to select mates to maximize the genetic diversity of their offspring in order to achieve immunity against a broader range of pathogens. Although several bird species preferentially mate with partners that are dissimilar at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), it remains unknown whether they can use olfactory cues to assess MHC similarity with potential partners. Here we combined gas chromatography data with genetic similarity indices based on MHC to test whether similarity in preen secretion chemicals correlated with MHC relatedness in the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a species that preferentially mates with genetically dissimilar partners. We found that similarity in preen secretion chemicals was positively correlated with MHC relatedness in male-male and male-female dyads. This study provides the first evidence that preen secretion chemicals can encode information on MHC relatedness and suggests that odor-based mechanisms of MHC-related mate choice may occur in birds.

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