The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis was formulated 12 years ago in an attempt to
offer a proximate mechanism by which female choice of males could be explained by …

(Invited Article) Abstract Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is widespread and variable among
animals. According to the differential equilibrium model, SSD in a given species is expected …

Sexual selection in mammals has resulted in the evolution of sexual size dimorphism (SSD),
with males usually being the larger sex. Comparative analyses indicate that the evolution of …

2.1 Background Exhaustive empirical surveys have shown that, almost without exception,
macroparasites (parasitic helminths and arthropods) are aggregated across their host …

The importance of wild birds as potential vectors of disease has received recent renewed
empirical interest, especially regarding human health. Understanding the spread of bacterial …

Meta-analysis is the statistical synthesis of the results of separate studies. It was adapted
from other disciplines for use in ecology and evolutionary biology beginning in the early …

Recent advances in human life history theory have provided new insights into the potential
selection pressures that were instrumental in the evolution of human and non‐human …

Many studies have identified various host behavioural and ecological traits that are
associated with parasite infection, including host gregariousness. By use of meta-analyses …

Unlike most other large mammals, the Soay sheep population of Hirta in the St. Kilda
archipelago show persistent oscillations, sometimes increasing or declining by more than …

Agroecosystems cover more than one quarter of the global land area (ca. 50 million km2) as
highly simplified (eg pasturelands) or more complex systems (eg polycultures and …