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Meeting Abstract

SICB+    Ecoimmunology: what unconventional organisms tell us after two decades Titon, SCM; Voyles, J; Assis, VR*; University of Sao Paulo; University of Nevada, Reno. ; University of Sao Paulo v.regina.a@gmail.com https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vania-R-Assis

Ecoimmunology, or ecological immunology, seeks to understand the extrinsic and intrinsic factors leading to changes in the immune system and how these changes contribute to disease susceptibility. Scientists in this field rely on data from both field and laboratory studies, using a wide variety of species, conducting studies within and between species. Despite the potential for broad application, ecoimmunological studies have predominantly focused on birds and small mammals as model organisms. Plants, fishes, and amphibians are among the less represented groups in ecoimmunology studies. Additionally, most of the existing methods in this area were developed for birds and mammals such that adapting these methods to other invertebrates and vertebrates has proven difficult. Our symposium will address this problem by highlighting ecoimmunological research in underrepresented groups of organisms. More specifically, our speakers will present on a wide range of topics, such as pathogen and disease resistance, interactions among immunity, thermal biology, and stress physiology, and the implications for conservation biology. These topics will be discussed within the wider context of climate change, habitat degradation, and other global change challenges. Our symposium will also showcase modified protocols, including genomic tools, for studying underrepresented groups within this field.