Data from: Sexual antagonism for resistance and tolerance to infection in Drosophila melanogaster

A critical task in evolutionary genetics is to explain the persistence of
heritable variation in fitness-related traits such as immunity. Ecological
factors can maintain genetic variation in immunity, but less is known
about the role of other factors, such as antagonistic pleiotropy, on
immunity. Sexually dimorphic immunity—with females often being more
immune-competent—may maintain variation in immunity in dioecious
populations. Most eco-immunological studies assess host resistance to
parasites rather than the host's ability to maintain fitness during
infection (tolerance). Distinguishing between resistance and tolerance is
important as they are thought to have markedly different evolutionary and
epidemiological outcomes. Few studies have investigated tolerance in
animals, and the extent of sexual dimorphism in tolerance is unknown.
Using males and females from 50 Drosophila melanogaster genotypes, we
investigated possible sources of genetic variation for immunity by
assessing both resistance and tolerance to the common bacterial pathogen
Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found evidence of sexual dimorphism and sexual
antagonism for resistance and tolerance, and a trade-off between the two
traits. Our findings suggest that antagonistic pleiotropy may be a major
contributor to variation in immunity, with implications for host–parasite
coevolution.