Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Parasite Avoidance

Buck, Julia C.; Weinstein, Sara B.; Young, Hillary S.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2018.05.001

Cited by 126 publications

(175 citation statements)

References 112 publications

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“…Although the majority of investigations of the effects infection on social and mate responses have been carried out under laboratory conditions there is evidence that the findings are consistent with the results from natural and semi‐natural conditions . Indeed it has been suggested that in nature animals the landscape of disgust from pathogen and parasite threat that has far reaching implications for population dynamics and overall behavior . Under natural conditions odor and other sensory cues (eg, ultrasonic vocalizations), may result in female mice being more likely to detect and locate healthy males resulting in the disgust associated avoidance of a less preferred male and biased mating.…”

Section: Odors Mate Choice and Pathogen Avoidancementioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Social Cognition Disgust and Pathogen Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In nature all organisms under constant threat of attack by pathogens and parasites (microparasites, (including bacteria and viruses) and macroparasites (eg, helminths, arthropods [biting insects]) in what has been referred to as a "landscape of disgust". 5,21,22 Individuals harbor a range of parasites as well as both beneficial and potentially pathogenic bacterial and viral components. Parasitism by contagious parasites is a cost of sociality, with social interactions between individuals increasing the probability of parasite and pathogen exposure and transmission.…”

Section: Social Cognition Disgust and Pathogen Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…41,57 Indeed it has been suggested that in nature animals the landscape of disgust from pathogen and parasite threat that has far reaching implications for population dynamics and overall behavior. 5,22 Under natural conditions odor and other sensory cues (eg, ultrasonic vocalizations 58 ), may result in female mice being more likely to detect and locate healthy males resulting in the disgust associated avoidance of a less preferred male and biased mating. There are, however, also results suggesting that odor avoidance only moderately translates into avoidance of sexual interactions.…”

Section: After Hamilton and Zukmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…25 The presence of an unfamiliar male also resulted in a heightened sensitivity to, and avoidance of, infected Social learning of pathogen/parasite recognition and avoidance is also evident 4 (Figure 2). Biting and blood feeding flies are key parts of the natural landscape of disgust 5 and are responsible for many aversive effects in humans and non-humans. Animals, including humans, exposed to biting fly attack display a variety of fly-avoidance behaviors and defensive and disgust associated responses.…”

Section: Familiar-unfamilar Discrimination and Disgustmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social neuroscience of disgust

Kavaliers

Ossenkopp

Choleris

2018

Genes Brain and Behavior

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Disgust can be thought of as an affective system that has evolved to detect signs of pathogens, parasite and toxins as well as to stimulate behaviors that reduce the risk of their acquisition. Disgust incorporates social cognitive mechanisms to regulate exposure to and, or anticipate and avoid exposure to pathogens and toxins. Social cognition entails the acquisition of social information about others (ie, social recognition) and from others (ie, social learning). This involves recognizing and assessing other individuals and the pathogen/parasite/contamination/toxin threat they pose and deciding about when and how to interact with and, or avoid them. Social cognition provides a frame-work for examining the expression of disgust and the associated neurobiological mechanisms. Here, we briefly consider the relations between social cognition and pathogen/parasite/toxin avoidance behaviors. We briefly discuss aspects of: (1) the odor mediated social recognition of actual and potentially infected individuals and the impact of parasite/pathogen threat on disgust mate and social partner choice; (2) the roles of "out-groups" (strangers, unfamiliar individuals) and "in-groups" (familiar individuals) in the expression of disgust and pathogen avoidance behaviors; (3) individual and social learning of disgust and empathy for disgust; (4) toxin elicited disgust and anticipatory disgust; (5) the neurobiological mechanisms, and in particular the roles of the nonapeptide, oxytocin and estrogenic mechanism associated with social cognition and the expression of disgust. These findings on the social neuroscience of disgust have a direct bearing on our understanding of the roles of disgust in shaping human and nonhuman social behavior.

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Section: Odors Mate Choice and Pathogen Avoidancementioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Social Cognition Disgust and Pathogen Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Social Cognition Disgust and Pathogen Avoidancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: After Hamilton and Zukmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Familiar-unfamilar Discrimination and Disgustmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social neuroscience of disgust

Kavaliers

Ossenkopp

Choleris

2018

Genes Brain and Behavior

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Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Hagen

Blackwell

Lightner

et al. 2023

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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The human lineage transitioned to a more carnivorous niche 2.6 mya and evolved a large body size and slower life history, which likely increased zoonotic pathogen pressure. Evidence for this increase includes increased zoonotic infections in modern hunter‐gatherers and bushmeat hunters, exceptionally low stomach pH compared to other primates, and divergence in immune‐related genes. These all point to change, and probably intensification, in the infectious disease environment of Homo compared to earlier hominins and other apes. At the same time, the brain, an organ in which immune responses are constrained, began to triple in size. We propose that the combination of increased zoonotic pathogen pressure and the challenges of defending a large brain and body from pathogens in a long‐lived mammal, selected for intensification of the plant‐based self‐medication strategies already in place in apes and other primates. In support, there is evidence of medicinal plant use by hominins in the middle Paleolithic, and all cultures today have sophisticated, plant‐based medical systems, add spices to food, and regularly consume psychoactive plant substances that are harmful to helminths and other pathogens. We propose that the computational challenges of discovering effective plant‐based treatments, the consequent ability to consume more energy‐rich animal foods, and the reduced reliance on energetically‐costly immune responses helped select for increased cognitive abilities and unique exchange relationships in Homo. In the story of human evolution, which has long emphasized hunting skills, medical skills had an equal role to play.

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Crowding does not affect monarch butterflies’ resistance to a protozoan parasite

Alaidrous

Villa

Roode

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Host density is an important factor when it comes to parasite transmission and host resistance. Increased host density can increase contact rate between individuals and thus parasite transmission. Host density can also cause physiological changes in the host, which can affect host resistance. Yet, the direction in which host density affects host resistance remains unresolved. It is also unclear whether food limitation plays a role in this effect. We investigated the effect of larval density in monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus , on the resistance to their natural protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha under both unlimited and limited food conditions. We exposed monarchs to various density treatments as larvae to mimic high densities observed in sedentary populations. Data on infection and parasite spore load were collected as well as development time, survival, wing size, and melanization. Disease susceptibility under either food condition or across density treatments was similar. However, we found high larval density impacted development time, adult survival, and wing morphology when food was limited. This study aids our understanding of the dynamics of environmental parasite transmission in monarch populations, which can help explain the increased prevalence of parasites in sedentary monarch populations compared to migratory populations.

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Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Parasite Avoidance

Cited by 126 publications

References 112 publications

Social neuroscience of disgust

Social neuroscience of disgust

Homo medicus: The transition to meat eating increased pathogen pressure and the use of pharmacological plants in Homo

Crowding does not affect monarch butterflies’ resistance to a protozoan parasite

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