Prior research has identified different dimensions of intercultural competence (IC). However, its focus remains inconsistent across different disciplines and contexts. Existing assessment tools do not focus on all dimensions of Intercultural Competence. Instead, each focuses only on a subset of the IC dimensions. To fill this gap, this study aims (1) to provide a review of currently available a...

Cooperatively breeding American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) suffer a severe disease-mediated survival cost from inbreeding, but the proximate mechanisms linking inbreeding to disease are unknown. Here, we examine indices of nestling body condition and innate immunocompetence in relationship to inbreeding and disease mortality. Using an estimate of microsatellite heterozygosity that predicts i...

Matthew J. Fuxjager, Johannes Foufopoulos, Ramon Diaz-Uriarte and Catherine A. Marler Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 210 N Mills St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA; School of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Michigan, 440 Church St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA; and Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1202 W Johnson St., Madis...

Calopteryx splendens males exhibit a remarkable variation in wing pigmentation both within and between populations. In this study, we examined whether the wingspots of male C. splendens are related to male quality. We measured the nylon implant encapsulation rate for 85 males and found that males with larger wingspots had a faster encapsulation rate, indicating a better immunocompetence. We als...

The field of ecoimmunology is currently undergoing rapid expansion, whereby biologists from a wide range of ecological disciplines are increasingly interested in assessing immunocompetence in their study organisms. One of the key challenges to researchers is determining what eco-immune measures to use in a given experiment. Moreover, there are limitations depending on study species, requirement...

Female mate choice is often based on exaggerated sexual traits, signals of male qualities that females cannot assess directly. Two such key qualities are male immune and/or sexual competence, whereby honesty in signalling could be maintained by physiological trade-offs. Carotenoid-based ornaments likely constitute such honest signals, as there is direct competition for (limited) carotenoids bet...

Theoretical models suggest that begging should be costly in order to be evolutionarily stable. However, evidence for such a cost is contradictory (e.g. for growth costs) or scant (e.g. for immunological costs). Here, we experimentally test the existence of both costs in southern shrike (Lanius meridionalis) nestlings. Nestlings were paired by nest of origin and similar body mass. In each pair, ...

The response to intradermally injected phytohaemagglutinin (PHA-response) is a commonly used quantification of avian immunocompetence (the ability to resist pathogens). Parasite-mediated sexual selection requires heritable immunocompetence, but evidence for heritability of PHA-response in birds largely stems from full-sib comparisons. Using an animal model approach, we quantified the narrow-sen...

Stressors encountered during avian development may affect an individual's phenotype, including immunocompetence, growth, and feather quality. We examined effects of simulated chronic low-level stress on American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nestlings. Continuous release of corticosterone, a hormone involved in the stress response, can model chronic stress in birds. We implanted 13-d-old males wit...

The immunosuppressive effects of maintenance combination chemotherapy given for periods ranging from 8 to 28 months to 20 children with acute lymphocytic leukemia in remission were investigated. There was depression of both the primary antibody production to the hemagglutinin antigen of the Hong Kong influenza virus and the anamnestic response to the neuraminidase of the same virus. The primary...