Immunocompetence and resource holding potential in the damselfly, Calopteryx virgo L.

It is generally believed that resource holding potential reliably reflects male quality, but empirical evidence showing this is scarce. Here we show that the outcome of male-male competition may predict male immunocompetence in the territorial damselfly, Calopteryx virgo (Odonata: Calopterygidae). We staged contests between 27 pairs of males and found that winners of the contests showed higher immunocompetence, measured as encapsulation response, compared with that of losers. Furthermore, the winners had larger fat reserves. We also collected 29 males that had not been used in staged contests, and found that in these males encapsulation response correlated positively with an individual's fat reserves. Both immunocompetence and resource holding potential seem to depend on energy reserves, suggesting a trade-off between parasite resistance and energetically costly territorial behavior. The results suggest that the outcome of male-male contest can be used to predict male quality in terms of immune defense.