ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2015
Social immunity and the evolution of group living in insects.
Review in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 77 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
77 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 233 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sickness and the Social Brain: Love in the Time of COVID.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Infectious disease and group size: more than just a numbers game.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2015Pooled it
- A new narrative for social immunity research in termites.Trends open · 2026Review
- Social isolation is associated with microRNA expression changes in the visual system of poison frog tadpoles.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Plasticity in parental care: Interspecific competitor cues shape biparental cooperation in a burying beetle.The Journal of animal ecology · 2026Article
- Biological costs and benefits of selective breeding for disease resistance using marker-assisted or field-based selective breeding in honey bees (Apis mellifera).Journal of economic entomology · 2026Article
- Seasonal Dynamics Without Reset: Core Microbiota Stability Across Development in a Gall-Dwelling Weevil.Insects · 2026Article
- Preparing for parenthood: molecular reprogramming precedes parenting in the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides.Frontiers in zoology · 2026Article
- Insect immunity unveiled: exploring the molecular and cellular defenses against microbial threats.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- Establishing standards for genome wide association studies in eusocial insects through a case study in honey bees.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Clodronate Liposomes Untangle the Role of Hemocytes in <italic>Apis mellifera</italic> Response to Temperature Variation and Microbial Infection.Journal of innate immunity · 2026Article
- A propolis-rich hive environment affects redox gene expression and gut microbiota at the individual and social level in honey bees.FEMS microbes · 2026Article
- Spatially organized chemical defences shape microbial communities in honey bee colonies.ISME communications · 2026Article
- Social immunity in a supercolonial invasive ant: Nest structure confers immune function.The Journal of animal ecology · 2026Article
- Clodronate liposomes untangle the role of hemocytes inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Group living influences larval melanism in gregarious caterpillars.Die Naturwissenschaften · 2025Article
- Microbial Evolution in Allodapine Bees: Perspectives From Trophallactic, Socially Plastic Pollinators.Evolutionary applications · 2025Review
- Food as Medicine: A Review of Plant Secondary Metabolites from Pollen, Nectar, and Resin with Health Benefits for Bees.Insects · 2025Review
- Review
- An odorant-binding protein functions in fire ant social immunity interfacing with innate immunity.Open biology · 2025Article
17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The evolution of group living requires that individuals limit the inherent risks of parasite infection. To this end, group living insects have developed a unique capability of mounting collective anti-parasite defences, such as allogrooming and corpse removal from the nest. Over the last 20 years, this phenomenon (called social immunity) was mostly studied in eusocial insects, with results emphasizing its importance in derived social systems. However, the role of social immunity in the early evolution of group living remains unclear. Here, I investigate this topic by first presenting the definitions of social immunity and discussing their applications across social systems. I then provide an up-to-date appraisal of the collective and individual mechanisms of social immunity described in eusocial insects and show that they have counterparts in non-eusocial species and even solitary species. Finally, I review evidence demonstrating that the increased risks of parasite infection in group living species may both decrease and increase the level of personal immunity, and discuss how the expression of social immunity could drive these opposite effects. By highlighting similarities and differences of social immunity across social systems, this review emphasizes the potential importance of this phenomenon in the early evolution of the multiple forms of group living in insects.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.