ArticleEcology and evolution2023
Natural variation in host feeding behaviors impacts host disease and pathogen transmission potential.
Article in Ecology and evolution, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Hormesis and hydra effects revealed by intraspecific overcompensation models and dose-response curves.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2025Article
- A high-lipid diet leads to greater pathology and lower tolerance during infection.The Journal of experimental biology · 2025Article
- Genetic Variation in Trophic Avoidance Behaviour Shows Fruit Flies are Generally Attracted to Bacterial Substrates.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- A common multi-host parasite shows genetic structuring at the host species and population levels.Parasitology · 2024Article
- Natural variation in host feeding behaviors impacts host disease and pathogen transmission potential.Ecology and evolution · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Animals ranging from mosquitoes to humans often vary their feeding behavior when infected or merely exposed to pathogens. These so-called "sickness behaviors" are part of the innate immune response with many consequences, including avoiding orally transmitted pathogens. Fully understanding the role of this ubiquitous behavior in host defense and pathogen evolution requires a quantitative account of its impact on host and pathogen fitness across environmentally relevant contexts. Here, we use a zooplankton host and fungal pathogen as a case study to ask if infection-mediated feeding behaviors vary across pathogen exposure levels and natural genetic variation in susceptibility to infection. Then, we connect these changes in behavior to pathogen transmission potential (spore yield) and fitness and growth costs to the host. Our results validate a protective effect of altered feeding behavior during pathogen exposure while also revealing significant variation in the magnitude of this response across host susceptibility and pathogen exposure levels. Across all four host genotypes, feeding rates were negatively correlated with susceptibility to infection and transmission potential. The most susceptible genotypes exhibited either strong anorexia, reducing food intake by 26%-42%, ("Standard") or pronounced hyperphagia, increasing food intake by 20%-54% ("A45"). Together, these results suggest that infection-mediated changes in host feeding behavior-which are traditionally interpreted as immunopathology- may in fact serve as crucial components of host defense strategies and warrant further investigation.
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