Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Volume 267, Issue 1439, Pages 177-182Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2000.0984
Keywords
Tenebrio molitor; phenoloxidase; density-dependent prophylaxis; cost of immunity; phenotypic plasticity
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If there are costs involved with the maintenance of pathogen resistance, then higher investment in this trait is expected when the risk of pathogenesis is high. One situation in which the risk of pathogenesis is elevated is at increased conspecific density. This paper reports the results of a study of density-dependent polyphenism in pathogen resistance and immune function in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor. Beetles reared at high larval densities showed lower mortality when exposed to a generalist entomo-pathogenic fungus and a higher degree of cuticular melanization than those reared solitarily The degree of cuticular melanization was a strong indicator of resistance, with darker beetles being more resistant than lighter ones regardless of rearing density. No differences were found between rearing densities in the levels of phenoloxidase, an enzyme key to the insect immune response. The results show that pathogen resistance is phenotypically plastic in T. molitor suggesting that the maintenance of this trait is costly.
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