Figure 1

Relative change in interaction time of immune-challenged mice as a function of genetic relatedness. Results from the field experiment demonstrating (a) change in time socializing with other mice of the same group after receiving an immune challenge dependent on relatedness to the group and (b) change in pairwise interactions with other mice following an immune challenge depending on genetic relatedness to the interaction partner. (b) differs from (a) as it does not focus on average relatedness of an individual mouse to the social group, but on pairwise relatedness and pairwise interactions. Our findings do not support the prediction under the kin protection hypothesis (dotted line). Results from the laboratory experiment demonstrating changes in interaction time between (c) immune-challenged mice and other mice in the enclosure, depending on the presence or absence of kin in the group, or (d) immune-challenged mice that had kin in the group and an interaction partner that specifically was or was not a sibling. Our findings do not support the prediction under the kin protection hypothesis (inset). In all graphs, change in interaction time is normalized relative to interaction before treatment; loss of all social contact equals a change of score of −1; increase in contact is represented by positive numbers.