Abstract
The immune system is a particularly costly activity that competes with other functions of an organism, such as reproduction, although research is lacking on the importance of environmental factors for the parental investment in offspring immunity. This study examines whether ambient temperature impacts the effect of a sheep red blood cell (SRBC) challenge of the adult female’s immune system on the offspring’s phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) responses and whether this impact differs between the Great Tit and Eurasian Blue Tit. In both studied bird species, offspring wing web swelling was lower after immunisation of the mother (although only in 1 research year) compared with the control (PBS) group of females. A stronger or weaker PHA response of chicks resulted from higher or lower parental investment, respectively. In Eurasian Blue Tits, the nestlings’ PHA responses were positively related to ambient temperature in both experimental groups, while in Great Tits they were positively related to temperature in the control group, but no significant relationship was found in the SRBC nests. This suggests that the impact of ambient temperature is species-specific.
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