The immune system is a life history trait that can be expected to trade off against other life
history traits. Whether or not a trait is considered to be a life history trait has consequences …

The idea that oxidative stress may underpin life history trade‐offs has become extremely
popular. However, experimental support for the concept has proved equivocal. It has …

Recent work on a small European cave salamander (Proteus anguinus) has revealed that it
has exceptional longevity, yet it appears to have unexceptional defences against oxidative …

Why do some females menstruate at all? Answering this question has implications for
understanding the tight links between reproductive function and organismal immunity. Here …

Reproduction and immune function are critical processes, but organisms can rarely optimize
both traits. Resultant reproduction–immunity trade‐offs may be 'facultative', occurring only …

Evolutionary biologists have been interested in the negative interactions among life history
traits for nearly a century, but the mechanisms that would create this negative interaction …

Oxidative stress is a potential proximal physiological cost of reproduction. Detecting this cost
may be performed in several different ways–manipulating reproductive status, correlating …

Different life‐history strategies can be employed to navigate the tradeoff between investment
into reproductive and somatic tissues, and plasticity in life‐history strategies may be one of …

Background Living organisms face ubiquitous pathogenic threats and have consequently
evolved immune systems to protect against potential invaders. However, many components …

Most organisms are under constant and repeated exposure to pathogens, leading to
perpetual natural selection for more effective ways to fight-off infections. This could include …