Ecoimmunology

The role of parasites and pathogens in the evolution of life history traits is of increasing interest to both ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Immunology, which was once studied almost exclusively by immunologists, has become an important area of proximate investigation to animal physiologists as a means for understanding changes in disease susceptibility and the neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms that mediate these changes. The coalescence of these different perspectives has given rise to the field of ecological immunology, an interdisciplinary research field that examines interactions among host physiology and disease ecology in a wide range of environmentally relevant contexts. The goal of ecological immunology is to understand immune function in the context of life-history traits across a wide range of organisms. Research within the field combines diverse approaches from a wide range of scientific disciplines including evolution, ecology, and life history theory to endocrinology, neuroscience, molecular biology, and behavior. This book critically reviews recent advances in the discipline of ecoimmunology. Chapters are written by experts in their respective fields and cover diverse topics including how environmental factors can affect host immune function, the complex dynamics among host immunity, pathogen prevalence and disease susceptibility, and the physiological mechanisms that lead to adaptive changes in immune responses. By integrating analyses of immune system function within animal biology, investigators will gain will gain a more comprehensive and satisfying understanding of organism-environment interactions at both ultimate and proximate levels of analysis.

1. Introduction to ecoimmunology. Gregory E. Demas and Randy J. Nelson. Indiana University and the Ohio State University. 2. Life history evolution, hormones, and avian immune function. Dawn M. O'Neal and Ellen D. Ketterson. Indiana University. 3. Sickness behavior in vertebrates: Allostasis, life-history modulation,. and hormonal regulation. Noah T. Ashley and John C. Wingfield. University of Alaska, Anchorage and University of California, Davis. 4. Amphibian Immunity: Staying in tune with the environment. Louise Rollins-Smith and Douglas Woodhams. Vanderbilt University. 5. Immunity in primates within a psychosocial and life span perspective. Chris Coe. University of Wisconsin. 6. Maternal modulation of offspring immune function in vertebrates. Dennis Hasselquist, Michael Tobler and Jan-Ake Nilsson. Lund University. 7. Tradeoffs limiting MHC heterozygosity. Jason L. Kubinak, Adam C. Nelson, James S. Ruff and Wayne K. Potts. University of Utah. 8. The energetics of immunity: Mechanisms of trade-offs in ecoimmunology. Gregory Demas, Timothy Greives, Emily Chester and Susannah French. Indiana University, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and Utah State University. 9. Neuroendocrine mechanisms of seasonal changes in immune function. Zachary M. Weil and Randy J. Nelson. The Ohio State University. 10. Pineal gland and circulatory melatonin in regulation of immune status of seasonally breeding mammals. C. Haldar, S. Gupta, S. Rai, R. Ahmed and R. Yadav. Banaras Hindu University. 11. Environmental challenges and the neuroendocrine mechanisms of stress-induced modulation of host resistance to microbial infection. Jacqueline W. Mays, Nicole D. Powell, Michael T. Bailey and John F. Sheridan. The Ohio State University. 12. Inflammation and behavior. Keith W. Kelley, Arnaud Aubert and Robert Dantzer. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and DESCO, Faculte des Sciences. 13. The importance of physiology for ecoimmunlogy: Lessons from the insects. Shelley Adamo. Dalhousie University. 14. Interactions between host social behavior, physiology, and disease susceptibility: the role of social context. Bonnie Fairbanks and Dana Hawley. Virginia Tech University. 15. Sexual selection and parasites: Do mechanisms matter?. Anne C. Jacobs and Marlene Zuk. University of California, Riverside. 16. Sex differences in immune responses to viruses. Dionne P. Robinson and Sabra L. Klein. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 17. Immunopathology in ecological immunology. E Rhiannon Pursall and Jens Rolff. University of Sheffield. 18. The evolutionary ecology of infectious disease virulence. Lars Raberg and Martin Stjernman. Lund University. 19. Evolutionary genetics of infectious disease. Paul Schmid-Hempel. ETH Zurich.

Gregory E. Demas is Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior (CISAB) at Indiana University, where he has been for the last 10 years. Randy J. Nelson holds the Brumbaugh Chair in Brain Research and Teaching at The Ohio State University Medical Center. He is professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience and a member of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine at The Ohio State University Medical Center.