All basic processes of ecological populations involve decisions; when and where to move,
when and what to eat, and whether to fight or flee. Yet decisions and the underlying …

Senescence–the progressive age-dependent decline in performance–occurs in most
organisms. There is considerable variation in the onset and rate of senescence between …

Females should prefer to be fertilized by males that increase the genetic quality of their
offspring. In vertebrates, genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a key …

Background The gut microbiome (GM) can influence many biological processes in the host,
impacting its health and survival, but the GM can also be influenced by the host's traits. In …

Parasites can have detrimental effects on host fitness, and infection typically results in the
stimulation of the immune system. While defending against infection, the immune system …

Evolutionary approaches are gaining popularity in conservation science, with diverse
strategies applied in efforts to support adaptive population outcomes. Yet conservation …

Fluctuations in the quality of the habitat in which an animal lives can have major
consequences for its behaviour and physiological state. In poor‐quality habitat with low food …

Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain the evolution of senescence. One of
the leading hypotheses, the disposable soma hypothesis, predicts a trade‐off, whereby early …

Inbreeding results in more homozygous offspring that should suffer reduced fitness, but it
can be difficult to quantify these costs for several reasons. First, inbreeding depression may …

Understanding where genetic variation exists, and how it influences fitness within
populations is important from an evolutionary and conservation perspective. Signatures of …