Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Almberg ES
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4676290 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore.
Almberg E S ES Cross P C PC Dobson A P AP Smith D W DW Metz M C MC Stahler D R DR Hudson P J PJ
Ecology letters 20150518 7
Infection risk is assumed to increase with social group size, and thus be a cost of group living. We assess infection risk and costs with respect to group size using data from an epidemic of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) among grey wolves (Canis lupus). We demonstrate that group size does not predict infection risk and that individual costs of infection, in terms of reduced survival, can be entirely offset by having sufficient numbers of pack-mates. Infected individuals experience increase ...[more]
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