All Outputs (16)

How does viewing angle affect the perceived accuracy of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies? (2024)
Journal Article
Baker, L., Taylor, C., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (2024). How does viewing angle affect the perceived accuracy of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies?. Behavioral Ecology, 35(5), Article arae054. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae054

Despite Batesian mimicry often eliciting predator avoidance, many Batesian mimics, such as some species of hoverfly (Syrphidae), are considered to have an “imperfect” resemblance to their model. One possible explanation for the persistence of apparen... Read More about How does viewing angle affect the perceived accuracy of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies?.

Dermal absorption of high molecular weight parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from manufactured gas plant soils using in vitro assessment (2024)
Journal Article
Williams-Clayson, A. M., Vane, C. H., Jones, M. D., Thomas, R., Taylor, C., & Beriro, D. J. (2024). Dermal absorption of high molecular weight parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from manufactured gas plant soils using in vitro assessment. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 469, Article 133858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133858

An enhanced in vitro human dermal bioavailability method was developed to measure the release of twenty parent and seven alkylated high molecular weight (HMW) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated soils collected from five former... Read More about Dermal absorption of high molecular weight parent and alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from manufactured gas plant soils using in vitro assessment.

The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences (2023)
Journal Article
Kikuchi, D. W., Allen, W. L., Arbuckle, K., Aubier, T. G., Briolat, E. S., Burdfield-Steel, E. R., …Exnerová, A. (2023). The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 36(7), 975-991. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.14192

Prey seldom rely on a single type of antipredator defence, often using multiple defences to avoid predation. In many cases, selection in different contexts may favour the evolution of multiple defences in a prey. However, a prey may use multiple defe... Read More about The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences.

Early‐life immune expression profiles predict later‐life health and fitness in a wild rodent (2023)
Journal Article
Wanelik, K. M., Begon, M., Bradley, J. E., Friberg, I. M., Taylor, C. H., Jackson, J. A., …Friberg, I. M. (2023). Early‐life immune expression profiles predict later‐life health and fitness in a wild rodent. Molecular Ecology, 32(13), 3471-3482. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16950

Individuals differ in the nature of the immune responses they produce, affecting disease susceptibility and ultimately health and fitness. These differences have been hypothesized to have an origin in events experienced early in life that then affect... Read More about Early‐life immune expression profiles predict later‐life health and fitness in a wild rodent.

Discrete patterns of microbiome variability across timescales in a wild rodent population (2023)
Journal Article
Fenn, J., Taylor, C., Goertz, S., Wanelik, K. M., Paterson, S., Begon, M., …Bradley, J. (2023). Discrete patterns of microbiome variability across timescales in a wild rodent population. BMC Microbiology, 23, Article 87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-023-02824-x

Mammalian gastrointestinal microbiomes are highly variable, both within individuals and across populations, with changes linked to time and ageing being widely reported. Discerning patterns of change in wild mammal populations can therefore prove cha... Read More about Discrete patterns of microbiome variability across timescales in a wild rodent population.

Effects of an IgE receptor polymorphism acting on immunity, susceptibility to infection, and reproduction in a wild rodent (2023)
Journal Article
Wanelik, K. M., Begon, M., Bradley, J. E., Friberg, I. M., Jackson, J. A., Taylor, C. H., & Paterson, S. (2023). Effects of an IgE receptor polymorphism acting on immunity, susceptibility to infection, and reproduction in a wild rodent. eLife, 12, Article e77666. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.77666

The genotype of an individual is an important predictor of their immune function, and subsequently, their ability to control or avoid infection and ultimately contribute offspring to the next generation. However, the same genotype, subjected to diffe... Read More about Effects of an IgE receptor polymorphism acting on immunity, susceptibility to infection, and reproduction in a wild rodent.

Living with chronic infection: Persistent immunomodulation during avirulent haemoparasitic infection in a wild rodent (2022)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Friberg, I. M., Jackson, J. A., Arriero, E., Begon, M., Wanelik, K. M., Paterson, S., Bradley, J. E., Friberg, I. M., & Bradley, J. E. (2023). Living with chronic infection: Persistent immunomodulation during avirulent haemoparasitic infection in a wild rodent. Molecular Ecology, 32(5), 1197-1210. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16819

Apicomplexans are a protozoan phylum of obligate parasites which may be highly virulent during acute infections, but may also persist as chronic infections which appear to have little fitness cost. Babesia microti is an apicomplexan haemoparasite tha... Read More about Living with chronic infection: Persistent immunomodulation during avirulent haemoparasitic infection in a wild rodent.

Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies (2021)
Journal Article
Leavey, A., Taylor, C. H., Symonds, M. R. E., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (2021). Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies. Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14336

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) provide an excellent opportunity to study the evolution of Batesian mimicry, where defenseless prey avoid predation by evolving to resemble defended “model” species. Although some hoverflies beautifully resemble their... Read More about Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies.

Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale (2019)
Journal Article
Goertz, S., de Menezes, A. B., Birtles, R. J., Fenn, J., Lowe, A. E., MacColl, A. D., …Taylor, C. H. (2019). Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale. PLoS ONE, 14(9), Article e0222501. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222501

The composition of the mammalian gut microbiota can be influenced by a multitude of environmental variables such as diet and infections. Studies investigating the effect of these variables on gut microbiota composition often sample across multiple se... Read More about Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale.

Immune state is associated with natural dietary variation in wild mice Mus musculus domesticus (2019)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Young, S., Fenn, J., Lamb, A. L., Lowe, A. E., Poulin, B., …Bradley, J. E. (2019). Immune state is associated with natural dietary variation in wild mice Mus musculus domesticus. Functional Ecology, 33(8), 1425-1435. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13354

1. The ability, propensity and need to mount an immune response vary both among individuals and within a single individual over time.

2. A wide array of parameters have been found to influence immune state in carefully controlled experiments, but... Read More about Immune state is associated with natural dietary variation in wild mice Mus musculus domesticus.

Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent (2018)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Wanelik, K. M., Friberg, I. M., Lowe, A., Hall, A. J., Ralli, C., …Bradley, J. E. (2018). Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent. International Journal for Parasitology, 48(6), 463-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.11.006

In contrast to the conditions in most laboratory studies, wild animals are routinely challenged by multiple infections at once, and these infections can interact in complex ways. This means that the impact of a parasite on its host’s physiology and f... Read More about Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent.

A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis) (2018)
Journal Article
Wanelik, K. M., Begon, M., Birtles, R. J., Bradley, J. E., Friberg, I. M., Jackson, J. A., …Paterson, S. (in press). A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis). Molecular Ecology, 27(4), https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14476

The animal immune response has hitherto been viewed primarily in the context of resistance only. However, individuals can also employ a tolerance strategy to maintain good health in the face of ongoing infection. To shed light on the genetic and phys... Read More about A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis).

Which traits do observers use to distinguish Batesian mimics from their models? (2016)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Warrin, J., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (in press). Which traits do observers use to distinguish Batesian mimics from their models?. Behavioral Ecology, 28(2), https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw166

Batesian mimicry, in which a harmless mimic resembles a more aversive model, can encompass a wide range of morphological traits, but the resemblance is never perfect. Previous studies have used abstract “prey” designs to show that differences in cert... Read More about Which traits do observers use to distinguish Batesian mimics from their models?.

Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns (2016)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Reader, T., & Gilbert, F. (2016). Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1842), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1585

Mimicry is considered a classic example of the elaborate adaptations that natural selection can produce, yet often similarity between Batesian (harmless) mimics and their unpalatable models is far from perfect. Variation in mimetic accuracy is a puzz... Read More about Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns.

Hoverflies are imperfect mimics of wasp colouration (2016)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Reader, T., & Gilbert, F. (2016). Hoverflies are imperfect mimics of wasp colouration. Evolutionary Ecology, 30(3), 567-581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-016-9824-9

Many Batesian mimics are considered to be inaccurate copies of their models, including a number of hoverfly species which appear to be poor mimics of bees and wasps. This inaccuracy is surprising since more similar mimics are expected to deceive pred... Read More about Hoverflies are imperfect mimics of wasp colouration.

Distance transform: a tool for the study of animal colour patterns (2013)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (2013). Distance transform: a tool for the study of animal colour patterns. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 4(8), https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12063

Summary
The information in animal colour patterns plays a key role in many ecological interactions; quantification would help us to study them, but this is problematic. Comparing patterns using human judgement is subjective and inconsistent. Traditi... Read More about Distance transform: a tool for the study of animal colour patterns.