Honors Theses
Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Richard Buchholz
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The spleens of adult wild turkeys {Meleagris gallopavo) are their primary immune defense organ and produce many of the antibodies used throughout the body. During parasitic infection, more antibodies must be produced to protect the body from foreign antigens. This may cause the overall mass of the spleen and/or the concentration of RNA in the spleen, which translates DNA into protein antibodies, to increase. It has previously been shown that male turkeys infected with parasites have less pronounced external head ornamentation (snood length, number of side caruncles) than those left uninfected (Buchholz 1995). This difference in external characteristics may also be associated with RNA concentration and spleen mass due to resource partitioning. In this experiment, it was found that in male 10-month-old turkeys a negative association exists between snood length and spleen RNA concentration (r^ = 0.574, N = 12, p = 0.0043). This fact strengthens the hypothesis that factors determining the RNA concentration in the spleen also play a role in external ornamentation. In this experiment, it was also found that infected 10-month-old males have a much higher RNA concentration in the spleen than those left uninfected. This difference may be due to infected males’ being forced to put more energy toward RNA and antibody production than uninfected males, who can use this energy to enhance - m - characteristics such as head ornamentation, a proven determining factor in female mate choice. Li
Recommended Citation
Boone, William Wilson, "Spleen RNA Concentration and Male Oramentation in the Wild Turkey" (2003). Honors Theses. 1955.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1955
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