An immune challenge induces a decline in parental effort and compensation by the mate

Immune defense is fundamental to diminish the negative effects of the attack of infectious agents, yet the activation of the immune system entails costs and may compromise other life history-traits such as reproduction. In reproductive brown booby pairs (Sula leucogaster), we experimentally imposed an immune challenge during incubation, by intraperitoneally injecting Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in either the male or the female. We aimed to test whether activation of the immune response results on: (1) an increase in oxidative stress parameters, (2) a decline in post-hatching parental care in the treated individual, and (3) a compensation of the post-hatching parental effort by the non-treated mate. We found that activation of the immune response during incubation did not increase oxidative damage to lipids or total antioxidant capacity. However, mounting an immune response compromised parental effort during the chick rearing period: compared to controls, LPS-treated paren..., Summary of Methods
The study was conducted in the brown booby breeding colony at Isla Larga, Parque Nacional Islas Marietas, Nayarit, México.
Please note that \"N/A\" in the database indicates a value is not available.
Experimental immune challenge
During incubation, 61 breeding pairs were captured and individually marked with a leg band. We randomly assigned pairs to the LPS group (n=41) or the control group (n=20). In the LPS group, one member of each pair (i.e. LPS-treated parent, females in 20 pairs and males in 21 pairs) was intraperitoneally injected with 0.10 mg of E. coli LPS (serotype O55:B5, Sigma Aldrich, catalogue L2637, St. Louis, MO, USA) dissolved in 1 ml of Phosphate Buffered Saline solution (PBS; Sigma Aldrich, catalogue P4417, St. Louis, MO, USA). In the control group, one member of each pair was sham-treated (i.e. control-treated parent, females in ten pairs and males in ten pairs) with an intraperitoneal injection of 1 ml of PBS. Ten days later, we applied a second LPS..., , # An immune challenge induces a decline in parental effort and compensation by the mate

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.np5hqc038](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.np5hqc038)

## Description of the data and file structure

The study was conducted in the brown booby breeding colony at Isla Larga, Parque Nacional Islas Marietas, Nayarit, México.

 Please note that \"N/A\" in database file indicates a value not available.

#### File: Bdd\_Martinez\_Flores2024.xlsx

| **Variable** | **Description** |
| :---------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Nest | Nest number |
| Parent ...