Journal
BIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages 55-57Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0514
Keywords
psychoneuroimmunology; crosstalk; social insects; learning speed
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Funding
- NERC [NER/A/S/2003/00469]
- Natural Environment Research Council [NER/A/S/2003/00469] Funding Source: researchfish
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The immune response affects learning and memory in insects. Given this and the known fitness costs of both the immune system and learning, does an evolutionary trade-off exist between these two systems? We tested this by measuring the learning ability of 12 bumble-bee (Bombus terrestris) colonies in a free-flying paradigm. We then tested their immune response using the zone of inhibition assay. We found a positive relationship between colony learning performance and immune response, that is, fast-learning colonies also show high levels of antimicrobial activity. We conclude that there is no a priori reason to demand an evolutionary relationship between two traits that are linked physiologically.
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