Abstract:Sickness behaviour is a taxonomically-widespread coordinated set of behavioural changes that increases shelter-seeking while reducing levels of general activity, as well as food (anorexia) and water (adipsia) consumption, when fighting infection by pathogens and disease. The leading hypothesis explaining such sickness-related shifts in behaviour is the energy conservation hypothesis. This hypothesis argues that sick (i.e. immune-challenged) animals reduce energetic expenditure in order have more energy to fuel… Show more
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