Diversity of major histocompatibility complex of II B gene and mate choice in a monogamous and long-lived seabird, the Little Auk (Alle alle)

Abstract

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) plays a key role in the adaptive immune system of vertebrates, and is known to influence mate choice in many species. In birds, the MHC has been extensively examined but mainly in galliforms and passerines while other taxa that represent specific ecological and evolutionary life-histories, like seabirds, are underexamined. Here, we characterized diversity of MHC Class II B exon 2 in a colonial pelagic seabird, the Little Auk (or Dovekie Alle alle). We further examined whether MHC variation could be maintained through balancing selection and disassortative mating. We found high polymorphism at the genotyped MHC fragment, characterizing 99 distinct alleles across 140 individuals from three populations. The alleles frequencies exhibited a similar skewed distribution in both sexes, with the four most commonly occurring alleles representing approximately 35% of allelic variation. The results of a Bayesian site-by-site selection analysis suggest evidence of balancing selection and no direct evidence for MHC-dependent disassortative mating preferences in the Little Auk. The latter result might be attributed to the high overall polymorphism of the examined fragment, which itself may be maintained by the large population size of the species.