Immune function plays an important role in an animal's defense against infectious disease. In reptiles, immune responses may be complex and counterintuitive, and diagnostic tools used to identify infection, such as induced antibody responses are limited. Recent studies using gene transcription profiling in tortoises have proven useful in identifying immune responses to various intrinsic and extrinsic stressors. As part of a larger experiment with Mojave desert tortoises (
This content will become publicly available on August 25, 2024
Comparative studies, especially of related species that span across ecoregions, have the potential to increase our understanding of different ecological or evolutionary pressures that may drive host–pathogen dynamics. We quantified differences in immune investment, via differential leukocyte counts and bacteria‐killing assays, across four closely related species of
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10479950
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Zoology
- Volume:
- 321
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0952-8369
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 237-248
- Size(s):
- ["p. 237-248"]
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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