Antimicrobial Defences and Evolution of Sociality

微生物疾病威胁着所有社会，人类或其他社会。昆虫群落为传染病提供了理想的条件，特别是紧密相关的个体拥挤。我们提出了一个梯度的强度和广度的抗微生物防御从孤独的社会条件，这是相关的日益拥挤和减少遗传多样性。为了验证这一假设，我们比较了巢穴和殖民地的微生物环境，以及独居，半社会和社会昆虫的抗菌机制。这项关于疾病调控的研究成果将为这些经济和生态重要动物的使用、管理和保护提供信息。

Microbial diseases threaten all societies, human or otherwise. Insect societies present ideal conditions for contagious disease, specifically crowding of closely related individuals. We propose a gradient in the strength and breadth of antimicrobial defences from the solitary to the social condition and this is correlated with increasing crowding and decreasing genetic diversity. To test this hypothesis, we compare the microbial environments of nests and colonies, and the antimicrobial mechanisms, of solitary, semi-social and social insects. Outcomes from this research on disease regulation will inform the use, management and conservation of these economically and ecologically important animals.