title: Social Behaviours and Networks of Vervet Monkeys Are Influenced by Gastrointestinal Parasites.
abstract: Substantial research has shown that while some parasite infections can be fatal to hosts, most infections are sub-clinical and non-lethal. Such sub-clinical infections can nonetheless have negative consequences for the long-term fitness of the host such as reducing juvenile growth and the host's ability to compete for food and mates. With such effects, infected individuals are expected to exhibit behavioural changes. Here we use a parasite removal experiment to quantify how gastrointestinal parasite infections affect the behaviour of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) at Lake Nabugabo, Uganda. Behavioural profiles and the structure of nearest neighbour relationships varied significantly. As predicted, after deworming the duration of the resting events decreased, which is consistent with the idea that parasite infections are energetically costly. In contrast to what was predicted, we could not reject the null hypothesis and we observed no change in either the frequency or duration of grooming, but we found that the duration of travel events increased. A network analysis revealed that after deworming, individuals tended to have more nearest neighbours and hence probably more frequent interactions, with this effect being particularly marked for juveniles. The heightened response by juveniles may indicate that they are avoiding infected individuals more than other age classes because it is too costly to move energy away from growth. We consider that populations with high parasite burden may have difficulties developing social networks and behaviours that could have cascading effects that impact the population in general.
authors: McGill School of Environment and Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2T7.|Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, 10460, United States of America.|Makerere University Biological Field Station, P.O. Box 967, Fort Portal, Uganda.
authors: Colin A
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8827-8140
authors: CA
authors: Chapman
authors: Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53715, United States of America.
authors: Sagan
authors: S
authors: Friant
authors: Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1B1.
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Godfrey
authors: Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1B1.
authors: Cynthia
authors: C
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada.
authors: Dipto
authors: D
authors: Sakar
authors: Bilingual Biology Program, Department of Multidisciplinary Studies, Glendon Campus, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada.
authors: Valérie A M
authors: VA
authors: Schoof
authors: Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada.
authors: Raja
authors: R
authors: Sengupta
authors: Makerere University Biological Field Station, P.O. Box 967, Fort Portal, Uganda.
authors: Dennis
authors: D
authors: Twinomugisha
authors: McGill School of Environment and Department of Anthropology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2T7.
authors: Kim
authors: K
authors: Valenta
authors: Makerere University Biological Field Station, P.O. Box 967, Fort Portal, Uganda.|Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53715, United States of America.|Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, United States of America.
authors: Tony L
authors: TL
authors: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000523:psychology / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D008992:Monkey Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support