Swedish researchers have discovered for the first time that the immune system of birds is related to the climate in which they live, according to the website of the organization of physicists. As climate change continues to accelerate, the immune system of some birds may not keep up with the pace of climate change, so it is difficult to cope with emerging diseases. Other animals may have the same problem.           

 A team led by Emily O'Connor, a researcher at Lund University, recently published a paper saying that they studied 37 kinds of birds living in different climates, and analyzed the diversity of genes related to the immune system of each bird - gene diversity will affect the immune system's ability to cope with diseases. In addition, they analyzed the temperature and precipitation of these bird areas from 1901 to 2017.       

     It is found that the diversity of immune system related genes in a species is related to its climate environment. Over millions of years of evolution, many birds' immune systems have been precisely "calibrated" to cope with diseases in their specific environments and climates. For example, those species that live in rain rich areas of the tropics and do not migrate have the most diverse immune system related genes, enabling them to cope with more pathogens.       

     The study also found that rapid climate change challenges these "tailored" immune systems. "The evolution of the immune system may not keep pace with climate change, which makes many animals unable to cope with the number and type of pathogens they are exposed to," O'Connor said       

     For example, northern Europe is becoming warmer and wetter, and there may be diseases that did not exist before, posing a threat to some animals, the researchers explained.        

    O'Connor said the animals affected are not limited to birds, and the new findings may also be applicable to other animals, because the immune system related genes they studied are common in all vertebrates.         

   Source: Science and Technology Daily