Dissimilarity between age classes were due to a range of species (Additional file 1: Appendix 1).
Kobayashi and Yamamura (2007) [72] have considered an age-structured population where the movement between age classes is similar to that in our model.
No statistical differences detected for the interactions between factors (Two-way RM-ANOVA, LIO: F8, 324 = 0.27, p = 0.974; PHE: F8, 372 = 0.52, p = 0.844) suggest that the dynamic of the extinction along the testing events between age classes are similar.
When bees were offered two scented sugar solutions inside the cages, differences previously observed in Caged bees fed with one scented sugar solution between age classes were not detected by the analysis (Two-way RM-ANOVA, LIO: F2, 81 = 0.61, p = 0.547; PHE: F2, 93 = 1.19, p = 0.307; Fig. 2c and 2d).
In contrast, intensity of nematode infection differed between age classes, being higher in adult individuals, and was higher in Poring (negative binomial GLM; both p < 0.05).
Only marginal abundance benefits then accrue with extended grassland maintenance, and the differences in effects sizes between age classes were not significantly different (GLM F = 1.97, p > 0.05).
The lack of differences in species composition between the age classes is probably caused by the K-style life history traits of oribatid mites.
Transmission between these age classes is based on a contact matrix (Table 3) which is scaled such that the model with standard parameter values yields a given basic reproduction number R0.
Differences in prevalence between years, sexes, age classes, were assessed with the two tailed Fisher's exact test (FET) for both ELISA and culture results.
