Social network plasticity decreases disease transmission in a eusocial insect

作者：Nathalie Stroeymeyt, Anna V. Grasse, Alessandro Crespi, Danielle Mersch, Sylvia Cremer, Laurent Keller · 发表于：Science · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1126/science.aat4793 · 被引用次数：348 · 研究领域：Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior、Plant and animal studies、Insect and Pesticide Research

using a combination of automated tracking, controlled pathogen exposure, transmission quantification, and temporally explicit simulations. Pathogen exposure induced behavioral changes in both exposed ants and their nestmates, which helped contain the disease by reinforcing key transmission-inhibitory properties of the colony's contact network. This suggests that social network plasticity in response to pathogens is an effective strategy for mitigating the effects of disease in social groups.