Dj. Hosken et Je. O'Shea, Sperm production and immune function in two Australian bats, Chalinolobus morio and Nyctophilus geoffroyi, ETHOL ECOL, 13(2), 2001, pp. 173-180
One assumption of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis is that androgen
s increase the expression of secondary sex characters while concomitantly s
uppressing immune function. Primary sex function, such as spermatogenesis,
may also benefit from immune down-regulation since spermatozoa are not reco
gnised as self by the immune system. Males with greater parasite resistance
should therefore be able to experience higher androgens levels with a resu
ltant increase in spermatogenic investment and ejaculate quality, plus grea
ter suppression of the immune system. We investigate this possibility in tw
o species of Australian bat. Testis size was used as a measure of ejaculate
investment and quality, and spleen size was used as an indicator of immune
function. Significant negative relationships were found between spleen and
testis mass in one species and a negative trend was noted in a second. Whe
n the overall effect size was calculated, the negative association across b
oth species was statistically significant. Our results are consistent with
the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis since males able to withstand grea
ter immune system down-regulation had larger testes.