While a very great deal is known about the immune responses that laboratory animals make, the responses of wild animals are very poorly understood. The very different lives of wild animals - competing for food and mates, and being exposed to a range of infections - will have profound effects on their immune responses. The aim of this newly funded project is, therefore, to understand what factors in the life of a wild animal determine the strength and nature of their immune responses. Previous work by this team, published in Molecular Ecology [1], has already shown some of the ways in which wild animal immune responses differ from those of their laboratory cousins.
1. Abolins, S.R., Pocock, M.J.O., Hafalla, J.C.R., Riley, E.M. & Viney, M.E. (2011) Measures of immune function of wild mice, Mus musculus. Molecular Ecology, 20, 881-892