Meta-Analysis Seeking Data on Group Size and Parasitism
A National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent: www.nescent.org) working group is exploring
ways to enhance meta-analyses and syntheses through broader requests for data. Here, we present one pilot request for data
for a proposed synthetic work.
Data Requested:
Charles Nunn and Laszlo Garamszegi seek
unpublished results and "pointers" to published results involving the
association between group size and parasitism in wild vertebrates. The data will be used in a meta-analysis to
investigate the links between sociality and parasitism. The last meta-analysis conducted on this
topic was published over 10 years ago (Cote & Poulin 1995. Behavioral
Ecology 6:159-165).Since then, new
data have emerged, along with new questions concerning the factors that link
group size and parasitism. The current
study will also broaden the taxonomic coverage of hosts examined.
Desired Format of
Data:
Results or data can be in the form of population-level data, such
as differences in infection levels in differently sized groups, or comparative
data relating group size and parasitism across species. All types of macro- and microparasites
are of interest, including arthropods, helminths,
protozoa, viruses and bacteria, as are all vertebrate hosts, including
terrestrial and aquatic species. The
researchers will also examine multiple measures of parasitism, including
prevalence, intensity and parasite richness. Results can be from observational studies or experiments. The meta-analysis will examine these and
other factors, including publication bias.
Statistical results should be provided in a form such that effect
sizes can be calculated. An example
would be a correlation coefficient between group size and parasitism, along
with sample size. Means and standard
errors of rates of parasitism among categorical group sizes (e.g. small versus
large groups) would also be useful, again with sample sizes for the categories,
as would raw data from which these and other statistics can be calculated.
In addition to unpublished data, the researchers would appreciate
"pointers" to published articles relevant to
the study.
Timeframe:
Please provide us with the data or references by NOVEMBER 1, 2007,
or if you have data that may be available soon thereafter, please let us know
that it is coming.
Use of
Unpublished Data:
All published studies will be cited in resultant publications, and
unpublished work may be given credit through consortium coauthorship
for the person providing the data.
Contact
Information:
If you have relevant data or "pointers" to the
literature to include in the study, please contact either Charlie or Laszlo for more information:
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/staff/charles_nunn/index.htm
Laszlo Garamszegi
University of Antwerp
Meta-Analysis and
Synthesis Working Group:
If you have questions about the broader NESCent
project of enhancing synthetic works, or have an idea for a synthetic work that
you'd like to pursue that also would benefit from broader requests for data,
please contact Mohamed Noor (noor@duke.edu) or Maria Servedio (servedio@email.unc.edu) or
see this link.