Immune defense, disease and damage control in the wild

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Immune defences are vital for resistance against infections, but are an overlooked component of disease dynamics in the wild. The project aims to use a model system of long-term studied wild birds to investigate causes of individual variation in innate immunity, the critical first-line-of-defence against new infections. The results may show how immune dynamics are linked to disease, aging, reproduction and longevity and to what extent this is environmentally-determined or inherited (its adaptive potential). The outcomes could provide broadly generalizable insights into interactions between the immune system and the environment, and may identify risk factors for vulnerability to novel infectious diseases.