AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
     

 
 
 
 
 
 RESEARCH

Physiological mediation of invasiveness

Some species have been able to occupy habitats all over the globe, but others have not. We are investigating what physiological adjustments facilitate invasions in one of the most broadly distributed avian invaders, the house sparrow.  Collaborators from all over the world (HOSPnet) are helping us characterize the immune and endocrine systems of native and introduced populations.

 

Relevant publications

Lee, KA, LB Martin, D Hasselquist, RE Ricklefs, and M Wikelski. 2006. Contrasting adaptive immune defenses and blood parasite prevalence in closely related Passer sparrows. Oecologia 150: 383-392

Lee, KA, LB Martin, and M. Wikelski. 2005. Responding to inflammatory challenges is less costly for a successful avian invader, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), than its less invasive congener. Oecologia 145: 244-251

Martin, LB, and L. Fitzgerald. 2005. A taste for novelty in invading house sparrows, Passer domesticus. Behavioral Ecology 16: 702-707
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