Meeting Abstract
Life history theory predicts that short-lived species will prioritize current reproductive efforts over self-maintenance functions to a greater extent than will long-lived species. These strategies are thought to maximize parental fitness for each life history mode. Therefore, long-lived species ought to invest heavily in immune defense, particularly the defenses of the acquired immune system. Yet little is known about the induction and maintenance of immunological memory in wild species. We are investigating the primary and secondary immune responses of Nazca Boobies, Sula granti, a long-lived seabird in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. To assess their primary immune responses, we collected blood samples before and after injecting the birds with a harmless antigen, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, known to stimulate a specific immune response in vertebrates. We repeated the process after three months, and then nine years later, to investigate their immune memory responses in short- and long-term time frames. We are using an ELISA assay to identify specific antibodies to the antigen and see if the birds are able to maintain immune memory cells over time.
