The idea that resources are limited and animals can maximise fitness by trading costly
activities off against one another forms the basis of life-history theory. Although investment in …

Although oxidative stress is a central topic in biochemical and medical research, the number
of reports on its relevance in life‐history studies of non‐human animals is still low …

Life‐history theory concerns the trade‐offs that mold the patterns of investment by animals
between reproduction, growth, and survival. It is widely recognized that physiology plays a …

Metals can cause oxidative stress by increasing the formation of reactive oxygen species
(ROS), which render antioxidants incapable of defence against growing amounts of free …

Activating the immune system has associated fitness costs, both immediate costs in the form
of reduced current reproduction and long-term costs in the form of reduced life span and …

In recent years ecological research has focused on the relevance of antioxidants and
oxidative stress in the evolution of life-history strategies and physiological trade-off in birds …

Carotenoids are fat-soluble natural pigments with antioxidant properties (eg Moller et al.
2000; Surai 2002; Krinsky & Yeum 2003), but they also have a number of other additional …

Telomeres are DNA structures that protect chromosome ends. However, telomeres shorten
during cell replication and at critically low lengths can reduce cell replicative potential …

Mechanisms maintaining honesty of sexual signals are far from resolved, limiting our
understanding of sexual selection and potential important parts of physiology. Carotenoid …

1. Reactive oxygen species, produced as a by-product of normal metabolism, can cause
intracellular damage and negatively impact on cell function. Such oxidative damage has …