Sex and burrowing behavior and their implications with lytic activity in the sand-dwelling spider Allocosa senex

ALBÍN, ANDREA ; AISENBERG, ANITA; SIMÓ, MIGUEL; CALBACHO-ROSA, LUCIA; CARGNELUTTI, FRANCO

Science of Nature

Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbHinfo@springer-sbm.com

Año: 2020 vol. 107 p. 1 - 8

The immune response can be costly. Studies in several arthropod species have indicated a trade-off between immunity and otherlife-history traits, including reproduction. In sexually dimorphic species in which females and males largely differ in their lifehistory strategies and related energetic demands, we can expect to find sex differences in immune functions. Sex differences inimmunity are well documented in vertebrates; however, we largely lack data from invertebrate systems. Lytic activity, theimmune system?s ability to lysate bacteria and viruses, has been widely used as a proxy for the strength of the immune responsein several invertebrates. With this in mind, we used the burrowing wolf spider Allocosa senex to test differences in lytic activitybetween females and males. We also studied whether digging behavior affects the immune responses in this species. Whilefemales of A. senex construct simple refuges where they stay during the day, males construct deep burrows, which they donate tofemales after copulation. In accordance with our hypothesis, females showed higher lytic activity compared with males, and thosemales who dug showed higher levels of lytic activity than those that did not dig. Furthermore, male body condition and lyticactivity did not correlate with burrow length, a trait under female choice in this species. Our results show sexual dimorphism inlytic activity responses, which are likely related to differences in life-history strategies and energetic requirements of each sex inA. senex spiders.