Because most emerging human pathogens originate in mammals, many studies aim to
identify host traits that determine the risk of sourcing zoonotic outbreaks. Studies regularly …

Body size influences many traits including those that affect host competence, the propensity
to cause new infections. Here, we employ a new framework to reveal that, for at least two …

Many songbirds migrate twice a year to exploit seasonally available resources. These
journeys are energetically demanding and energy reserves of these small birds are limited …

Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive heavy metal that often enters the environment from
anthropogenic sources such as gold mining and agriculture. Chronic exposure to Hg can …

Abstract Theory predicts that body mass should affect the way organisms evolve and use
immune defenses. We investigated the relationship between body mass and blood …

The acute phase response (APR) is an evolutionarily well-conserved part of the innate
immune defense against pathogens. However, recent studies in bats yielded surprisingly …

As a textbook case for the importance of genetics in conservation, absence of genetic
variability at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is thought to endanger species …

Body mass affects many biological traits, but its impacts on immune defences are fairly
unknown. Recent research on mammals found that neutrophil concentrations …

This review summarizes the current knowledge on the major histocompatibility complex
(MHC) of the family Felidae. This family comprises an important domestic species, the cat, as …

Studies of immunity in bat species are rare. However, it is important to determine
immunological variations to identify factors influencing the health status of these …