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Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Access To Mutualistic Endosymbiotic Microbes: An Underappreciated Benefit Of Group Living, Michael Lombardo
Access To Mutualistic Endosymbiotic Microbes: An Underappreciated Benefit Of Group Living, Michael Lombardo
Michael P Lombardo
"The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com"
A central question in behavioral ecology has been why animals live in groups. Previous theories about the evolution of sociality focused on the potential benefits of decreased risk of predation, increased foraging or feeding efficiency, and mutual aid in defending resources and/or rearing offspring. This paper argues that access to mutualistic endosymbiotic microbes is an underappreciated benefit of group living and sets out to reinvigorate Troyer’s hypothesis that the need to obtain cellulolytic microbes from conspecifics influenced the evolution of social behavior in herbivores and to extend it to nonherbivores. This extension is …
On The Evolution Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases In Birds, Michael Lombardo
On The Evolution Of Sexually Transmitted Diseases In Birds, Michael Lombardo
Michael P Lombardo
"The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com".
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in animals are caused by pathogens that are transmitted during copulation. Birds have played an important role in the development of STD-centered theories of mating behavior. However, it is not known whether STDs exist in wild bird populations. While the avian cloaca with its dual functions of gamete transfer and excretion seemingly predisposes birds for the evolution of STDs, the life history patterns of most birds (i.e., seasonal breeders with relatively brief annual periods of sexual activity) suggest otherwise. The importance of STDs as selective forces that shape host …