Publications by authors named "Darrys Reese"
When organisms move into new areas, they are likely to encounter novel food resources. Even if they are nutritious, these foods can also be risky, as they might be contaminated by parasites. The behavioural immune system of animals could help them avoid the negative effects of contaminated resources, but our understanding of behavioural immunity is limited, particularly whether and how behavioural immunity interacts with physiological immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHouse Sparrows Vary Seasonally in Their Ability to Transmit West Nile Virus.
Physiol Biochem Zool
November 2023
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates how seasonality affects the susceptibility and transmission of the West Nile virus (WNV) in house sparrows, focusing on the relationship between host physiological changes and the virus's prevalence.
- - It was hypothesized that sparrows would be most vulnerable to WNV during breeding and molting, but findings showed they were most transmissive in the fall, aligning with higher environmental virus prevalence.
- - While the results suggest that seasonal changes in the birds may influence arboviral cycles, the study calls for further research on other species and contexts to fully understand the dynamics of disease transmission.
Article Synopsis
- * DNA methylation, a process that influences gene expression, plays a crucial role in determining how adaptable an organism's immune system can be to respond to threats effectively.
- * In house sparrows, non-native populations show high epigenetic potential (EP) in a key immunity gene, allowing them to better resist infections, suggesting that high EP helps these birds adapt to new environments, though the exact mechanisms are still unclear.