Ana Claudia Norte

I obtained my PhD degree in Ecology from the University of Coimbra and the University of Oxford in 2008. I specialized in ecophysiology and the assessment of habitat quality using physiological bioindicators in avian models. More recently, I have expanded my field of research to avian disease and host-parasite interactions, with a main research focus on the ecology of Lyme borreliosis and the role of vertebrates, including birds, as reservoir hosts for Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. In my research field I combine natural (fieldwork-based) and controlled (in captivity) experimental setups to evaluate ecological interactions between biotic and abiotic stressors and avian health, combining biological sampling, biochemical and clinical analyses, parasite screening and molecular biology approaches.