TABLE 1.

Comparison of social insect and human models for defensive symbiosis.

Advantages of insect models	Human alternatives
Control of variables (diet, environment, etc.)	Diets and environment generally not experimentally manipulated; metadata may be limited or subject to self-reporting inaccuracies
Defined units of replication for social group (e.g., one colony)	Units could be family, geographical region, etc.
Relatively simple microbiomes	Complex gut microbiomes, other sites varying complexity
Shorter life cycles	Long life cycles
Genetic variation within a colony lower than from a general population	Variable genetic variation
Lifestyle variation exists, including solitary, social, and eusocial members	Different types of social groupings, but all social