How are information, disease, and social evolution linked?

Date:
August 26, 2020
Source:
Kyoto University
Summary:
In all social animals, gaining valuable information requires
physical contact among individuals, an action that risks spreading
contagion. New research describes the opposing evolutionary
forces that give rise to the social networks of which we are
a part. They developed a dynamic theoretical framework where
individuals constantly update their social behaviors to reflect
both the benefits and costs of interaction.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Animals use social information for a variety of reasons, including
identifying new foraging areas or of threats from predators.


========================================================================== However, gaining this information requires physical contact among
individuals, an action that risks spreading contagion. This leads to an evolutionary trade- off: what information does an individual stand to
gain at the risk of possible infection? Both social information and
disease transmission are governed by our social structures, shaping
how we live. Yet information and infection are rarely investigated as interactive factors driving social evolution.

Publishing in Trends in Ecology and Evolution, a collaborative research
group from Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute, Institut Universitaire de France, and the University of Strasbourg, describes
the opposing evolutionary forces that give rise to the social networks
of which we are a part.

"We live in an increasingly connected world, and these connections bind
us together in nature," explains study coauthor Andrew MacIntosh.

"As such, we have always had to navigate the costs and benefits of social relationships, an experience that is shared with myriad other organisms
that live in groups." But what governs the structures of our social
worlds? Sharing information and cooperation ties us together, but the
current global pandemic reminds us that there are limits to our social connectedness, demanding changes in our behavior.



========================================================================== "Social animals face two key needs: access to information about key
resources, and avoidance of pathogens that can make them sick," continues
lead author Vale'ria Romano.

The team began by reviewing literature on social transmission and the strategies employed by animals to reduce the costs of connectedness. They
found examples where evolution has resulted in potential solutions to
our ongoing social dilemmas protecting us from infectious diseases.

Common strategies include individuals self-isolating, or uninfected
individuals actively avoiding infected peers.

The team then introduced an integrative theoretical framework for studying social structure as a dynamic system in which individuals constantly
update their social behaviors to reflect both the benefits and costs
of interaction.

"British zoologist Robert Hinde -- one of the great thinkers in animal
behavior -- established an evolutionary framework for studying the
structures of animal societies," explains coauthor Ce'dric Sueur.



==========================================================================
"But he missed assigning a role for deleterious forms social transmission,
like infectious diseases. By extending our analysis of 'connection costs'
to Hinde's analysis, we've modernized his classic model." Although humans
have evolved with and developed tools to protect ourselves from the
spread of diseases, our own social networks are embedded within a much
broader ecological network.

"Covid-19 is the product not only of the global reach of our interactive networks, but also of our incautious exploitation of the natural world," MacIntosh concludes.

"Social distancing and digital communication can slow the spread of
pathogens, but more responsible interaction with nature might have
mitigated its emergence altogether."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Kyoto_University. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Vale'ria Romano, Andrew J.J. MacIntosh, Ce'dric Sueur. Stemming
the Flow:
Information, Infection, and Social Evolution. Trends in Ecology &
Evolution, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.004 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826101632.htm

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