@article{fdi:010063612,
  title = {{T}he ecology and evolution of animal medication : genetically fixed response versus phenotypic plasticity},
  author = {{C}hoisy, {M}arc and de {R}oode, {J}. {C}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A}nimal medication against parasites can occur either as a genetically fixed (constitutive) or phenotypically plastic (induced) behavior. {T}aking the tritrophic interaction between the monarch butterfly {D}anaus plexippus, its protozoan parasite {O}phryocystis elektroscirrha, and its food plant {A}sclepias spp. as a test case, we develop a game-theory model to identify the epidemiological (parasite prevalence and virulence) and environmental (plant toxicity and abundance) conditions that predict the evolution of genetically fixed versus phenotypically plastic forms of medication. {O}ur model shows that the relative benefits (the antiparasitic properties of medicinal food) and costs (side effects of medicine, the costs of searching for medicine, and the costs of plasticity itself) crucially determine whether medication is genetically fixed or phenotypically plastic. {O}ur model suggests that animals evolve phenotypic plasticity when parasite risk (a combination of virulence and prevalence and thus a measure of the strength of parasite-mediated selection) is relatively low to moderately high and genetically fixed medication when parasite risk becomes very high. {T}he latter occurs because at high parasite risk, the costs of plasticity are outweighed by the benefits of medication. {O}ur model provides a simple and general framework to study the conditions that drive the evolution of alternative forms of animal medication.},
  keywords = {self-medication ; phenotypic plasticity ; zoopharmacognosy ; ecological immunology ; behavioral immunity ; disease ecology},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}merican {N}aturalist},
  volume = {184},
  numero = {{S}uppl. 1},
  pages = {{S}31--{S}46},
  ISSN = {0003-0147},
  year = {2014},
  DOI = {10.1086/676928},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063612},
}