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<p>Understanding how organisms allocate resources between self-maintenance and reproduction in response to infection is central to life-history evolution. Maternal transfer of immune protection to offspring, often referred to as transgenerational immune priming (TGIP), represents a potentially important component of reproductive allocation. However, the extent to which this maternal effect varies genetically and covaries with other life-history traits remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated genetic variation in maternal transfer of immune protection and its association with key life-history traits in the mealworm beetle <i>Tenebrio molitor</i>. Using ten inbred lines, we quantified maternal body mass, fecundity, investment in offspring immune protection, and survival under starvation following a bacterial immune challenge. This design allowed us to estimate the broad-sense heritability of maternal immune transfer in an invertebrate and to assess genetic correlations with other traits. We found significant genetic variation in maternal immune transfer, fecundity, and body mass. Investment in offspring immune protection was positively correlated with fecundity but negatively correlated with body mass, while its association with survival was negative but not statistically significant. Smaller females provided more immune protection to their offspring but produced fewer offspring, suggesting a potential trade-off between reproductive effort and offspring immunity depending on body size. Overall, our results suggest that maternal transfer of immune protection in <i>T. molitor</i> is an evolvable trait that is integrated with broader life-history variation. More broadly, this study highlights the importance of considering maternal immune effects as an integrated component of reproductive allocation, potentially shaping adaptive immune investment within species.</p>

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Genetic variation in transgenerational immune priming and its association with fecundity and body mass in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月28日

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  • Julien Dhinaut,
  • Manon Chogne,
  • Camille Sabarly,
  • Aude Balourdet,
  • Charlène Develay,
  • Maria Teixeira,
  • Nelly Debrosse,
  • Agathe Crosland,
  • Thierry Rigaud,
  • Yannick Moret

摘要

Understanding how organisms allocate resources between self-maintenance and reproduction in response to infection is central to life-history evolution. Maternal transfer of immune protection to offspring, often referred to as transgenerational immune priming (TGIP), represents a potentially important component of reproductive allocation. However, the extent to which this maternal effect varies genetically and covaries with other life-history traits remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated genetic variation in maternal transfer of immune protection and its association with key life-history traits in the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor. Using ten inbred lines, we quantified maternal body mass, fecundity, investment in offspring immune protection, and survival under starvation following a bacterial immune challenge. This design allowed us to estimate the broad-sense heritability of maternal immune transfer in an invertebrate and to assess genetic correlations with other traits. We found significant genetic variation in maternal immune transfer, fecundity, and body mass. Investment in offspring immune protection was positively correlated with fecundity but negatively correlated with body mass, while its association with survival was negative but not statistically significant. Smaller females provided more immune protection to their offspring but produced fewer offspring, suggesting a potential trade-off between reproductive effort and offspring immunity depending on body size. Overall, our results suggest that maternal transfer of immune protection in T. molitor is an evolvable trait that is integrated with broader life-history variation. More broadly, this study highlights the importance of considering maternal immune effects as an integrated component of reproductive allocation, potentially shaping adaptive immune investment within species.