Social insect colonies have evolved many collectively performed adaptations that reduce the
impact of infectious disease and that are expected to maximize their fitness. This colony …

It is a commonly held view that genetically homogenous host populations are more
vulnerable to infection than genetically diverse populations. The underlying idea, known as …

Due to the omnipresent risk of epidemics, insect societies have evolved sophisticated
disease defences at the individual and colony level. An intriguing yet little understood …

Grooming is a well-recognized, multipurpose, behavior in arthropods and vertebrates. In this
paper, we review the literature to highlight the physical function, neurophysiological …

The evolution of group living requires that individuals limit the inherent risks of parasite
infection. To this end, group living insects have developed a unique capability of mounting …

Parasites can cause extensive damage to animal societies in which many related
individuals frequently interact. In response, social animals have evolved diverse individual …

In social groups, infections have the potential to spread rapidly and cause disease
outbreaks. Here, we show that in a social insect, the ant Lasius neglectus, the negative …

Many insects raise their offspring on organic substrates or in the soil where microorganisms
are abundant. Microbes may pose a serious threat to offspring development and survival by …

The size–complexity hypothesis is a leading explanation for the evolution of complex life on
earth. It predicts that in lineages that have undergone a major transition in organismality …

The stress of living conditions, similar to infections, alters animal immunity. High population
density is empirically considered to induce prophylactic immunity to reduce the infection risk …