According to behavioural ecology theory, sociality evolves when the net benefits of close
association with conspecifics exceed the costs. The nature and relative magnitude of the …

According to recent empirical studies, reproductive senescence, the decline in reproductive
success with increasing age, seems to be nearly ubiquitous in the wild. However, a clear …

For sexual selection to act on a given sex, there must exist variation in the reproductive
success of that sex as a result of differential access to mates or fertilisations. The …

Tuberculosis is present in wild animal populations in North America, Europe, Africa and New
Zealand. Some wild animal populations are a source of infection for domestic livestock and …

The spatial behaviour of hosts can seriously affect the transmission of pathogens and spatial
spread of diseases. Understanding the relationship between host movements and disease …

A species has a post‐reproductive stage if, like humans, a female entering the adult
population can expect to live a substantial proportion of their life after their last reproductive …

Summary 1 The culling of European badgers Meles meles has been a central part of
attempts to control bovine tuberculosis (TB) in British cattle for many years. Recent results …

Environmental change often causes decreased food availability and/or increased foraging
costs, putting wild animals at risk of starvation. Body-fat reserves can enable individuals to …

The costs and benefits of natal philopatry are central to the formation and maintenance of
social groups. Badger groups, thought to form passively according to the resource …

Long‐term individual‐based datasets on host–pathogen systems are a rare and valuable
resource for understanding the infectious disease dynamics in wildlife. A study of European …