Evidence for trans-generational medication in nature.

Thierry Lefèvre1, Lindsay Oliver, Mark D Hunter

  • 1Biology Department, Emory University, 1510 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. telefev@emory.edu

Ecology Letters
|November 3, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Monarch butterflies exhibit trans-generational medication by selecting toxic host plants to protect offspring from protozoan parasites. This study reveals a novel defense strategy where parents medicate their young against disease.

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