acorn consumption improves the immune response of the dung beetle thorectes lusitanicus. | thorectes lusitanicus, a typically coprophagous species is also actively attracted to oak acorns, consuming, burying them, and conferring ecophysiological and reproductive advantages to both the beetle and the tree. in this study, we explored the possible relation between diet shift and the health status of t. lusitanicus using a generalist entomopathogenic fungus (metarhizium anisopliae) as a natural pathogen. to measure the health condition and immune response of beetles, we analysed the prote ... | 2013 | 23874934 |