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Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Nunn, CL; Jordán, F; McCabe, CM; Verdolin, JL; Fewell, JH
Published in: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
May 2015

Increased risk of infectious disease is assumed to be a major cost of group living, yet empirical evidence for this effect is mixed. We studied whether larger social groups are more subdivided structurally. If so, the social subdivisions that form in larger groups may act as barriers to the spread of infection, weakening the association between group size and infectious disease. To investigate this 'social bottleneck' hypothesis, we examined the association between group size and four network structure metrics in 43 vertebrate and invertebrate species. We focused on metrics involving modularity, clustering, distance and centralization. In a meta-analysis of intraspecific variation in social networks, modularity showed positive associations with network size, with a weaker but still positive effect in cross-species analyses. Network distance also showed a positive association with group size when using intraspecific variation. We then used a theoretical model to explore the effects of subgrouping relative to other effects that influence disease spread in socially structured populations. Outbreaks reached higher prevalence when groups were larger, but subgrouping reduced prevalence. Subgrouping also acted as a 'brake' on disease spread between groups. We suggest research directions to understand the conditions under which larger groups become more subdivided, and to devise new metrics that account for subgrouping when investigating the links between sociality and infectious disease risk.

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Published In

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences

DOI

EISSN

1471-2970

ISSN

0962-8436

Publication Date

May 2015

Volume

370

Issue

1669

Start / End Page

20140111

Related Subject Headings

  • Vertebrates
  • Species Specificity
  • Social Behavior
  • Risk Factors
  • Population Density
  • Models, Biological
  • Invertebrates
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Communicable Diseases
  • Behavior, Animal
 

Citation

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Nunn, C. L., Jordán, F., McCabe, C. M., Verdolin, J. L., & Fewell, J. H. (2015). Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 370(1669), 20140111. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0111
Nunn, Charles L., Ferenc Jordán, Collin M. McCabe, Jennifer L. Verdolin, and Jennifer H. Fewell. “Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 370, no. 1669 (May 2015): 20140111. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0111.
Nunn CL, Jordán F, McCabe CM, Verdolin JL, Fewell JH. Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological sciences. 2015 May;370(1669):20140111.
Nunn, Charles L., et al. “Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, vol. 370, no. 1669, May 2015, p. 20140111. Epmc, doi:10.1098/rstb.2014.0111.
Nunn CL, Jordán F, McCabe CM, Verdolin JL, Fewell JH. Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological sciences. 2015 May;370(1669):20140111.
Journal cover image

Published In

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences

DOI

EISSN

1471-2970

ISSN

0962-8436

Publication Date

May 2015

Volume

370

Issue

1669

Start / End Page

20140111

Related Subject Headings

  • Vertebrates
  • Species Specificity
  • Social Behavior
  • Risk Factors
  • Population Density
  • Models, Biological
  • Invertebrates
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Communicable Diseases
  • Behavior, Animal