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Behavioral reduction of infection risk
J M Kiesecker1, D K Skelly, K H Beard
1School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, Greeley Memorial Lab, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. jmk23@psu.edu
Summary
Bullfrog tadpoles can detect and avoid kin infected with the pathogen Candida humicola. This avoidance behavior, triggered by chemical cues, suggests animals can actively reduce disease transmission risk from conspecifics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Behavioral Ecology
Background:
- Animals may benefit from avoiding infected conspecifics, a concept contrasting with traditional epidemiological models.
- Previous research lacked evidence for animals recognizing and avoiding disease risk from their own species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if bullfrog tadpoles avoid conspecifics infected with Candida humicola.
- To determine if avoidance is mediated by chemical cues and reduces infection risk.
Main Methods:
- Studied associations between infected and uninfected bullfrog tadpoles exposed to Candida humicola.
- Analyzed avoidance behavior in response to chemical cues from infected individuals.
Main Results:
- Bullfrog tadpoles demonstrated avoidance of infected conspecifics.
- Avoidance was triggered by chemical signals, not requiring direct contact.
- This behavior influences infection risk from proximity to diseased individuals.
Conclusions:
- Animals can facultatively modulate disease infection risk through avoidance of infected conspecifics.
- This behavior has significant implications for the population dynamics of pathogens and their hosts.