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Female reproduction and viral infection in a long-lived mammal.

ABSTRACT: For energetically limited organisms, life-history theory predicts trade-offs between reproductive effort and somatic maintenance. This is especially true of female mammals, for whom reproduction presents multifarious energetic and physiological demands. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in the gut virome (viral community) with respect to reproductive status in wild mature female chimpanzees Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii from two communities, Kanyawara and Ngogo, in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used metagenomic methods to characterize viromes of individual chimpanzees while they were cycling, pregnant and lactating. Females from Kanyawara, whose territory abuts the park's boundary, had higher viral richness and loads (relative quantity of viral sequences) than females from Ngogo, whose territory is more energetically rich and located farther from large human settlements. Viral richness (total number of distinct viruses per sample) was higher when females were lactating than when cycling or pregnant. In pregnant females, viral richness increased with estimated day of gestation. Richness did not vary with age, in contrast to prior research showing increased viral abundance in older males from these same communities. Our results provide evidence of short-term physiological trade-offs between reproduction and infection, which are often hypothesized to constrain health in long-lived species.

SUBMITTER: Negrey JD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9532343 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Female reproduction and viral infection in a long-lived mammal.

Negrey Jacob D JD Emery Thompson Melissa M Dunn Christopher D CD Otali Emily E Wrangham Richard W RW Mitani John C JC Machanda Zarin P ZP Muller Martin N MN Langergraber Kevin E KE Goldberg Tony L TL

The Journal of animal ecology 20220821 10

For energetically limited organisms, life-history theory predicts trade-offs between reproductive effort and somatic maintenance. This is especially true of female mammals, for whom reproduction presents multifarious energetic and physiological demands. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in the gut virome (viral community) with respect to reproductive status in wild mature female chimpanzees Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii from two communities, Kanyawara and Ngogo, in Kibale National Park, Uga ...[more]

PMID: 35988037

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Project description:Parasites can cause severe host morbidity and threaten survival. As parasites are generally aggregated within certain host demographics, they are likely to affect a small proportion of the entire population, with specific hosts being at particular risk. However, little is known as to whether increased host mortality from parasitic causes is experienced by specific host demographics. Outside of theoretical studies, there is a paucity of literature concerning dynamics of parasite-associated host mortality. Empirical evidence mainly focuses on short-lived hosts or model systems, with data lacking from long-lived wild or semi-wild vertebrate populations. We investigated parasite-associated mortality utilizing a multigenerational database of mortality, health, and reproductive data for over 4,000 semi-captive timber elephants (Elephas maximus), with known causes of death for mortality events. We determined variation in mortality according to a number of host traits that are commonly associated with variation in parasitism within mammals: age, sex, and reproductive investment in females. We found that potentially parasite-associated mortality varied significantly across elephant ages, with individuals at extremes of lifespan (young and old) at highest risk. Mortality probability was significantly higher for males across all ages. Female reproducers experienced a lower probability of potentially parasite-associated mortality than females who did not reproduce at any investigated time frame. Our results demonstrate increased potentially parasite-associated mortality within particular demographic groups. These groups (males, juveniles, elderly adults) have been identified in other studies as susceptible to parasitism, stressing the need for further work investigating links between infection and mortality. Furthermore, we show variation between reproductive and non-reproductive females, with mothers being less at risk of potentially parasite mortality than nonreproducers.

Dataset Information

Female reproduction and viral infection in a long-lived mammal.

Publications

Female reproduction and viral infection in a long-lived mammal.

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