Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Ecology

Shared ancestry predicts disease levels

Ecological factors such as host density are important predictors of disease incidence. But another key determinant may be the evolutionary history and relatedness of the host community. See Letter p.542

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Health amid disease.

Bruce Lyon, UC Santa Cruz

References

  1. Mordecai, E. A. Ecol. Monogr. 81, 429–441 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Maron, J. L., Marler, M., Klironomos, J. N. & Cleveland, C. C. Ecol. Lett. 14, 36–41 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Parker, I. M. et al. Nature 520, 542–544 (2015).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Keesing, F., Holt, R. D. & Ostfeld, R. S. Ecol. Lett. 9, 485–498 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Power, A. G. & Mitchell, C. E. Am. Nat. 164, S79–S89 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Webb, C. O., Ackerly, D. D., McPeek, M. A. & Donoghue, M. J. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 33, 475–505 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Castagneyrol, B., Jactel, H., Vacher, C., Brockerhoff, E. G. & Koricheva, J. J. Appl. Ecol. 51, 134–141 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Gilbert, G. S., Magarey, R., Suiter, K. & Webb, C. O. Evol. Appl. 5, 869–878 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gilbert, G. S. & Webb, C. O. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 4979–4983 (2007).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Dobzhansky, T. Am. Biol. Teach. 35, 125–129 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Helen M. Alexander.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Alexander, H. Shared ancestry predicts disease levels. Nature 520, 446–447 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/520446a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/520446a

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene