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De Dreu CKW, Gross J, Romano A. Group Formation and the Evolution of Human Social Organization. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2024; 19:320-334. [PMID: 37450408 PMCID: PMC10913362 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231179156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Humans operate in groups that are oftentimes nested in multilayered collectives such as work units within departments and companies, neighborhoods within cities, and regions within nation states. With psychological science mostly focusing on proximate reasons for individuals to join existing groups and how existing groups function, we still poorly understand why groups form ex nihilo, how groups evolve into complex multilayered social structures, and what explains fission-fusion dynamics. Here we address group formation and the evolution of social organization at both the proximate and ultimate level of analysis. Building on models of fitness interdependence and cooperation, we propose that socioecologies can create positive interdependencies among strangers and pave the way for the formation of stable coalitions and groups through reciprocity and reputation-based partner selection. Such groups are marked by in-group bounded, parochial cooperation together with an array of social institutions for managing the commons, allowing groups to scale in size and complexity while avoiding the breakdown of cooperation. Our analysis reveals how distinct group cultures can endogenously emerge from reciprocal cooperation, shows that social identification and group commitment are likely consequences rather than causes of group cooperation, and explains when intergroup relations gravitate toward peaceful coexistence, integration, or conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jörg Gross
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich
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2
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Martínez M, Schöndorfer S, Robinson LM, Brosnan SF, Range F. Some dogs can find the payoff-dominant outcome in the Assurance game. iScience 2024; 27:108698. [PMID: 38205239 PMCID: PMC10776926 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Studies on coordination often present animals with the choice of either cooperating or remaining inactive; however, in nature, animals may also choose to act alone. This can be modeled with the Assurance game, an economic game that has recently been used to explore decision-making in primates. We investigated whether dyads of pet dogs coordinate in the Assurance game. Pairs were presented with two alternatives: they could individually solve an apparatus baited with a low-value reward (Hare) or they could coordinate to solve a cooperative apparatus baited with a high-value reward for each dog (Stag). All individuals matched their partner's choices, but after controlling for side bias, only four out of eleven dyads consistently coordinated on the payoff-dominant strategy (Stag-Stag). Thus, some dogs are capable of finding coordinated outcomes, as do primates, at least when their partner's actions are visible and coordination results in the biggest payoff for both individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayte Martínez
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1160, Austria
- Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Selina Schöndorfer
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Lauren M. Robinson
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
| | - Sarah F. Brosnan
- Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Departments of Psychology and Philosophy, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna 1160, Austria
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3
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Engelhardt SC, Weladji RB, Holand Ø, Røed KH, Nieminen M. Evidence suggesting that reindeer mothers allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295497. [PMID: 38096314 PMCID: PMC10721201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Allonursing is the nursing of the offspring of other mothers. Cooperation is an emergent property of evolved decision rules. Cooperation can be explained by at least three evolved decision rules: 1) direct reciprocity, i.e. help someone who previously helped you, 2) kin discrimination, i.e. preferentially direct help to kin than to non-kin, and 3) generalized reciprocity, i.e. help anyone if helped by someone. We assessed if semi-domesticated reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, mothers allonursed according to the decision rules of direct reciprocity, generalized reciprocity and kin discrimination over 2 years. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the direct reciprocity decision rule, we predicted that mothers should give more help to those who previously helped them more often. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the kin discrimination decision rule, we predicted that help given should increase as pairwise genetic relatedness increased. To assess if reindeer mothers allonursed according to the generalized reciprocity decision rule, we predicted that the overall number of help given by reindeer mothers should increase as the overall number of help received by reindeer mothers increased. The number of help given i) increased as the number of help received from the same partner increased in the 2012 group but not in both 2013 groups, ii) was not influenced by relatedness, and iii) was not influenced by an interaction between the number of help received from the same partner and relatedness. iv) The overall number of help given increased as the overall number of help received increased. The results did not support the prediction that reindeer mothers allonursed according to the kin discrimination decision rule. The results suggest that reindeer mothers may allonurse according to the direct reciprocity and generalized reciprocity decision rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sacha C. Engelhardt
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology und Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Robert B. Weladji
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Øystein Holand
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Viken, Norway
| | - Knut H. Røed
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mauri Nieminen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland Luke, Reindeer Research Station, Kaamanen, Lapland, Finland
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Nonacs P. Why do Hymenopteran workers drift to non-natal groups? Generalized reciprocity and the maximization of group and parental success. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:1365-1374. [PMID: 37667646 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Eusocial Hymenoptera are often characterized by having facultatively or obligately sterile worker castes. However, findings across an increasing number of species are that some workers are non-natal-they have 'drifted' away from where they were born and raised. Moreover, drifters are often indistinguishable from natal workers in the work and benefits provided to joined groups. This seems an evolutionary paradox of providing benefits to potentially unrelated individuals over close kin. Rather than being mistakes, drifting is proposed to be adaptive if joiners either gain inclusive fitness by preferentially moving to other kin groups or through generalized reciprocity in which exchanging workers across groups raises group-level genetic diversity and creates social heterosis. It is unclear, however, if reciprocity is unlikely because of a susceptibility to cheating. In resolving this question, a series of evolutionary simulations show: (1) Reciprocity can persist under a range of genetic assumptions and scenarios of cheating, (2) cheating almost always evolves, but can be expressed in a variety of ways that are not always predictable, (3) the inclusive fitness hypothesis is equally or more susceptible to cheating. Moreover, existing data in Hymenoptera (although not extensive) are more consistent with generalized reciprocity. This supports a hypothesis that drifting, as a phenomenon, may more often reflect maximization of group and parental fitness rather than fitness gains for the individual drifters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Nonacs
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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5
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Enghelhardt SC, Paulsson NI, Taborsky M. Assessment of help value affects reciprocation in Norway rats. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231253. [PMID: 37885980 PMCID: PMC10598426 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Wild-type Norway rats reciprocate help received in a well-replicated experimental food-giving task, but the criteria to appraise the received help's value are unclear. We tested whether quality or quantity of received help is more important when deciding to return help, and whether partner familiarity and own current need affect this evaluation. We experimentally varied recipients of help's hunger state, and familiar or unfamiliar partners provided either higher caloric food (enhanced quantity; carrots) or food higher in protein and fat (enhanced quality; cheese). Reciprocation of received help was our criterion for the rats' value assessment. Familiarity, food type and hunger state interacted and affected help returned by rats. Rats returned less help to familiar partners than to unfamiliar partners. With unfamiliar partners, rats returned more help to partners that had donated preferred food (cheese) than to partners that had donated less preferred food (carrots), and they returned help earlier if they were satiated and had received cheese. With familiar partners, food-deprived rats that had received cheese returned more help than satiated rats that had received carrots. Our results suggest that Norway rats assess the received help's value based on its quality, their current need and partner familiarity before reciprocating received help.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sacha C. Enghelhardt
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Niklas I. Paulsson
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin), 14193 Berlin, Germany
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6
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Jungwirth A, Zöttl M, Bonfils D, Josi D, Frommen JG, Taborsky M. Philopatry yields higher fitness than dispersal in a cooperative breeder with sex-specific life history trajectories. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd2146. [PMID: 36867697 PMCID: PMC9984175 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add2146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Social evolution is tightly linked to dispersal decisions, but the ecological and social factors selecting for philopatry or dispersal often remain obscure. Elucidating selection mechanisms underlying alternative life histories requires measurement of fitness effects in the wild. We report on a long-term field study of 496 individually marked cooperatively breeding fish, showing that philopatry is beneficial as it increases breeding tenure and lifetime reproductive success in both sexes. Dispersers predominantly join established groups and end up in smaller groups when they ascend to dominance. Life history trajectories are sex specific, with males growing faster, dying earlier, and dispersing more, whereas females more likely inherit a breeding position. Increased male dispersal does not seem to reflect an adaptive preference but rather sex-specific differences in intrasexual competition. Cooperative groups may thus be maintained because of inherent benefits of philopatry, of which females seem to get the greater share in social cichlids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Jungwirth
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Zöttl
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, EEMiS, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Danielle Bonfils
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Josi
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Joachim G. Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, M1 5GD Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, D-78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) Berlin, D-14193 Berlin, Germany
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7
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Liu F, Gao L, Wang Q, Fan L, Li J, Du B. Giant babax (Babax waddelli) helpers cheat at provisioning nestlings in poor conditions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03279-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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8
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Food-exchanging Norway rats apply the direct reciprocity decision rule rather than copying by imitation. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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9
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Paulsson NI, Taborsky M. Norway rats help social partners in need in response to ultrasonic begging signals. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Ingvar Paulsson
- Division of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) Berlin Germany
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10
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Allonursing in Wild and Farm Animals: Biological and Physiological Foundations and Explanatory Hypotheses. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113092. [PMID: 34827824 PMCID: PMC8614478 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The dams of gregarious animals must develop a close bond with their newborns to provide them with maternal care, including protection against predators, immunological transference, and nutrition. Even though lactation demands high energy expenditures, behaviors known as allonursing (the nursing of non-descendant infants) and allosuckling (suckling from any female other than the mother) have been reported in various species of wild or domestic, and terrestrial or aquatic animals. These behaviors seem to be elements of a multifactorial strategy, since reports suggest that they depend on the following: species, living conditions, social stability, and kinship relations, among other group factors. Despite their potential benefits, allonursing and allosuckling can place the health and welfare of both non-filial dams and alien offspring at risk, as it augments the probability of pathogen transmission. This review aims to analyze the biological and physiological foundations and bioenergetic costs of these behaviors, analyzing the individual and collective advantages and disadvantages for the dams' own offspring(s) and alien neonate(s). We also include information on the animal species in which these behaviors occur and their implications on animal welfare.
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11
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Dimitriadou S, Santos EM, Croft DP, van Aerle R, Ramnarine IW, Filby AL, Darden SK. Social partner cooperativeness influences brain oxytocin transcription in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Brain Res 2021; 423:113643. [PMID: 34757109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
For non-kin cooperation to be maintained, individuals need to respond adaptively to the cooperative behaviour of their social partners. Currently, however, little is known about the biological responses of individuals to experiencing cooperation. Here, we quantify the neuroregulatory response of Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) experiencing cooperation or defection by examining the transcriptional response of the oxytocin gene (oxt; also known as isotocin), which has been implicated in cooperative decision-making. We exposed wild-caught females to social environments where partners either cooperated or defected during predator inspection, or to a control (non-predator inspection) context, and quantified the relative transcription of the oxt gene. We tested an experimental group, originating from a site where individuals are under high predation threat and have previous experience of large aquatic predators (HP), and a control group, where individuals are under low predation threat and naïve to large aquatic predators (LP). LP, but not HP, fish showed different behavioural responses to the behaviour of their social environment, cooperating with cooperative partners and defecting when paired with defecting ones. In HP, but not LP, fish brain mid-section oxt relative transcription varied depending on social partner behaviour. HP fish experiencing cooperation during predator inspection had lower oxt transcription than those experiencing defection. This effect was not present in the control population or in the control context, where the behaviour of social partners did not affect oxt transcription. Our findings provide insight into the neuromodulation underpinning behavioural responses to social experiences, and ultimately to the proximate mechanisms underlying social decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Dimitriadou
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Eduarda M Santos
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Ronny van Aerle
- Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Cefas Weymouth Laboratory, Weymouth, UK
| | - Indar W Ramnarine
- Department of Life Sciences, University of West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Amy L Filby
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Safi K Darden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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12
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Josi D, Heg D, Takeyama T, Bonfils D, Konovalov DA, Frommen JG, Kohda M, Taborsky M. Age- and sex-dependent variation in relatedness corresponds to reproductive skew, territory inheritance, and workload in cooperatively breeding cichlids. Evolution 2021; 75:2881-2897. [PMID: 34555177 PMCID: PMC9298395 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Kin selection plays a major role in the evolution of cooperative systems. However, many social species exhibit complex within-group relatedness structures, where kin selection alone cannot explain the occurrence of cooperative behavior. Understanding such social structures is crucial to elucidate the evolution and maintenance of multi-layered cooperative societies. In lamprologine cichlids, intragroup relatedness seems to correlate positively with reproductive skew, suggesting that in this clade dominants tend to provide reproductive concessions to unrelated subordinates to secure their participation in brood care. We investigate how patterns of within-group relatedness covary with direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation in a highly social vertebrate, the cooperatively breeding, polygynous lamprologine cichlid Neolamprologus savoryi. Behavioral and genetic data from 43 groups containing 578 individuals show that groups are socially and genetically structured into subgroups. About 17% of group members were unrelated immigrants, and average relatedness between breeders and brood care helpers declined with helper age due to group membership dynamics. Hence the relative importance of direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation depends on helper age. Our findings highlight how both direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation and group membership can select for cooperative behavior in societies comprising complex social and relatedness structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Josi
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.,Conservation, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Dik Heg
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.,CTU Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tomohiro Takeyama
- Department of Biosphere-Geosphere Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Danielle Bonfils
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Dmitry A Konovalov
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Joachim G Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.,Conservation, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Masanori Kohda
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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13
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Taborsky B. The Evolution of Social Behaviour. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology Division Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
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14
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology Division Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald G. Carter
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
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16
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Schweinfurth MK. Cooperative intentions and their implications on reciprocal cooperation in Norway rats. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Manon K. Schweinfurth
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience University of St Andrews St Andrews Scotland
- Department of Behavioural Ecology University of Bern Hinterkappelen Switzerland
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17
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Nadler LE, McCormick MI, Johansen JL, Domenici P. Social familiarity improves fast-start escape performance in schooling fish. Commun Biol 2021; 4:897. [PMID: 34285330 PMCID: PMC8292327 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02407-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Using social groups (i.e. schools) of the tropical damselfish Chromis viridis, we test how familiarity through repeated social interactions influences fast-start responses, the primary defensive behaviour in a range of taxa, including fish, sharks, and larval amphibians. We focus on reactivity through response latency and kinematic performance (i.e. agility and propulsion) following a simulated predator attack, while distinguishing between first and subsequent responders (direct response to stimulation versus response triggered by integrated direct and social stimulation, respectively). In familiar schools, first and subsequent responders exhibit shorter latency than unfamiliar individuals, demonstrating that familiarity increases reactivity to direct and, potentially, social stimulation. Further, familiarity modulates kinematic performance in subsequent responders, demonstrated by increased agility and propulsion. These findings demonstrate that the benefits of social recognition and memory may enhance individual fitness through greater survival of predator attacks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Nadler
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia. .,College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia. .,Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, USA.
| | - Mark I McCormick
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Jacob L Johansen
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI, USA
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18
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McGetrick J, Poncet L, Amann M, Schullern-Schrattenhofen J, Fux L, Martínez M, Range F. Dogs fail to reciprocate the receipt of food from a human in a food-giving task. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253277. [PMID: 34260627 PMCID: PMC8279367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Domestic dogs have been shown to reciprocate help received from conspecifics in food-giving tasks. However, it is not yet known whether dogs also reciprocate help received from humans. Here, we investigated whether dogs reciprocate the receipt of food from humans. In an experience phase, subjects encountered a helpful human who provided them with food by activating a food dispenser, and an unhelpful human who did not provide them with food. Subjects later had the opportunity to return food to each human type, in a test phase, via the same mechanism. In addition, a free interaction session was conducted in which the subject was free to interact with its owner and with whichever human partner it had encountered on that day. Two studies were carried out, which differed in the complexity of the experience phase and the time lag between the experience phase and test phase. Subjects did not reciprocate the receipt of food in either study. Furthermore, no difference was observed in the duration subjects spent in proximity to, or the latency to approach, the two human partners. Although our results suggest that dogs do not reciprocate help received from humans, they also suggest that the dogs did not recognize the cooperative or uncooperative act of the humans during the experience phase. It is plausible that aspects of the experimental design hindered the emergence of any potential reciprocity. However, it is also possible that dogs are simply not prosocial towards humans in food-giving contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim McGetrick
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
- Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, Institute of Animal Welfare Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Poncet
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
- Normandie Université, Unicaen, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), Caen, France
- Université de Rennes, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), Rennes, France
| | - Marietta Amann
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
| | - Johannes Schullern-Schrattenhofen
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
| | - Leona Fux
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
| | - Mayte Martínez
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Lab, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Ernstbrunn, Austria
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19
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Gareta García M, Lemieux D, Bshary R. Factors affecting tolerance persistence after grooming interactions in wild female vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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20
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Wan H, Kirkman C, Jensen G, Hackenberg TD. Failure to Find Altruistic Food Sharing in Rats. Front Psychol 2021; 12:696025. [PMID: 34239487 PMCID: PMC8259949 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.696025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior research has found that one rat will release a second rat from a restraint in the presence of food, thereby allowing that second rat access to food. Such behavior, clearly beneficial to the second rat and costly to the first, has been interpreted as altruistic. Because clear demonstrations of altruism in rats are rare, such findings deserve a careful look. The present study aimed to replicate this finding, but with more systematic methods to examine whether, and under what conditions, a rat might share food with its cagemate partner. Rats were given repeated choices between high-valued food (sucrose pellets) and 30-s social access to a familiar rat, with the (a) food size (number of food pellets per response), and (b) food motivation (extra-session access to food) varied across conditions. Rats responded consistently for both food and social interaction, but at different levels and with different sensitivity to the food-access manipulations. Food production and consumption was high when food motivation was also high (food restriction) but substantially lower when food motivation was low (unlimited food access). Social release occurred at moderate levels, unaffected by the food-based manipulations. When food was abundant and food motivation low, the rats chose food and social options about equally often, but sharing (food left unconsumed prior to social release) occurred at low levels across sessions and conditions. Even under conditions of low food motivation, sharing occurred on only 1% of the sharing opportunities. The results are therefore inconsistent with claims in the literature that rats are altruistically motivated to share food with other rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Wan
- Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Cyrus Kirkman
- Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Greg Jensen
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- Zuckerman Institute, New York, NY, United States
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21
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Gokcekus S, Cole EF, Sheldon BC, Firth JA. Exploring the causes and consequences of cooperative behaviour in wild animal populations using a social network approach. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2355-2372. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samin Gokcekus
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
| | - Ella F. Cole
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
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22
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Aellen M, Dufour V, Bshary R. Cleaner fish and other wrasse match primates in their ability to delay gratification. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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23
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Lorenzi MC, Schleicherová D, Robles-Guerrero FG, Dumas M, Araguas A. Egg-trading worms start reciprocation with caution, respond with confidence and care about partners' quality. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10552. [PMID: 34006950 PMCID: PMC8131627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89979-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditional reciprocity (help someone who helped you before) explains the evolution of cooperation among unrelated individuals who take turns helping each other. Reciprocity is vulnerable to exploitations, and players are expected to identify uncooperative partners who do not return the help they received. We tested this prediction in the simultaneously hermaphroditic worm, Ophryotrocha diadema, which engages in mutual egg donations by alternating sexual roles (one worm releases' eggs and the other fertilizes them). We set up dyads with different cooperativeness expectations; partners were either the same or a different body size (body size predicts clutch size). Large worms offered larger clutches and did so sooner when paired with large rather than small partners. They also released smaller egg clutches when they started egg donations than when they responded to a partners' donation, fulfilling the prediction that a players' first move will be prudent. Finally, behavioral bodily interactions were more frequent between more size-dissimilar worms, suggesting that worms engaged in low-cost behavioral exchanges before investing in such costly moves as egg donations. These results support the hypothesis that simultaneously hermaphroditic worms follow a conditional reciprocity paradigm and solve the conflict over sexual roles by sharing the costs of reproduction via the male and the female functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Lorenzi
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430, Villetaneuse, France.
| | - Dáša Schleicherová
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Franco G Robles-Guerrero
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Michela Dumas
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Alice Araguas
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430, Villetaneuse, France
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24
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Nuotclà JA, Diehl JMC, Taborsky M. Habitat Quality Determines Dispersal Decisions and Fitness in a Beetle – Fungus Mutualism. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.602672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Delayed dispersal of sexually mature offspring is a fundamental component of cooperative breeding. In ambrosia beetles, female offspring temporarily remain in their natal nest and refrain from reproduction, instead investing in alloparental care. Previous work has demonstrated a link between helping behaviour and the increased need for pathogen defence, arising from their close association with fungal cultivars. In the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii, mature female offspring can effectively fight pathogen infections and manage the microbial composition within the nest by adjusting the frequency of different hygienic and nest maintenance behaviours. This suggests a potential to respond flexibly to the ecology of their nest, which calls for a better understanding of the connection between behaviour and the microbial community thriving within their nests. Here, we studied the significance of the mutualistic fungus garden composition for the beetles’ nest ecology and fitness by experimentally varying substrate quality. We found that the vertically transmitted ambrosia fungus garden is composed of at least two fungus mutualist species and a wide variety of other microbes varying in their relative abundance. This is strongly affected by the moisture content of the substrate, which in nature depends on the age and type of wood. We found that the mutualist fungi complement each other in terms of dryness-resistance, allowing the beetles to utilise a broad range of substrates over prolonged time during which the wood gradually desiccates. Under suboptimal humidity conditions, the interaction between host and multiple fungus species has important ramifications for the behaviour of philopatric helpers, including their alloparental investment, sibling cannibalism and the timing of dispersal. Rearing five generations of beetles consecutively in dry substrate resulted in transgenerational effects on philopatry and alloparental care, probably mediated through the dominance of a particular fungus species that was driven by the experimental habitat condition. Interestingly, the nests of these selection lines produced much more offspring after five generations than any first-generation nest, which may have reflected increased egg laying by non-dispersing daughters. Our study highlights the importance of considering the interactions between the microbial community and their insect hosts for understanding social evolution in cooperatively breeding beetles.
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25
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Cooperation-based concept formation in male bottlenose dolphins. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2373. [PMID: 33888703 PMCID: PMC8062458 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22668-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In Shark Bay, Western Australia, male bottlenose dolphins form a complex nested alliance hierarchy. At the first level, pairs or trios of unrelated males cooperate to herd individual females. Multiple first-order alliances cooperate in teams (second-order alliances) in the pursuit and defence of females, and multiple teams also work together (third-order alliances). Yet it remains unknown how dolphins classify these nested alliance relationships. We use 30 years of behavioural data combined with 40 contemporary sound playback experiments to 14 allied males, recording responses with drone-mounted video and a hydrophone array. We show that males form a first-person social concept of cooperative team membership at the second-order alliance level, independently of first-order alliance history and current relationship strength across all three alliance levels. Such associative concepts develop through experience and likely played an important role in the cooperative behaviour of early humans. These results provide evidence that cooperation-based concepts are not unique to humans, occurring in other animal societies with extensive cooperation between non-kin.
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26
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Rats show direct reciprocity when interacting with multiple partners. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3228. [PMID: 33547347 PMCID: PMC7864983 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82526-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Direct reciprocity, where individuals apply the decision rule 'help someone who has helped you', is believed to be rare in non-human animals due to its high cognitive demands. Especially if previous encounters with several partners need to be correctly remembered, animals might either stop reciprocating favours previously received from an individual, or switch to the simpler generalized reciprocity mechanism. Here we tested the decision rules Norway rats apply when interacting with multiple partners before being able to return received help. In a sequential prisoner's dilemma situation, focal subjects encountered four different partners that were either helpful or not, on four consecutive days. On the fifth day, the focal subject was paired with one of the previous four partners and given the opportunity to provide it with food. The focal rats returned received help by closely matching the quantity of help their partner had previously provided, independently of the time delay between received and given help, and independently of the ultimate interaction preceding the test. This shows that direct reciprocity is not limited to dyadic situations in Norway rats, suggesting that cognitive demands involved in applying the required decision rules can be met by non-human animals even when they interact with multiple partners differing in helping propensity.
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27
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Gerber N, Schweinfurth MK, Taborsky M. The smell of cooperation: rats increase helpful behaviour when receiving odour cues of a conspecific performing a cooperative task. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202327. [PMID: 33234081 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Reciprocity can explain cooperative behaviour among non-kin, where individuals help others depending on their experience in previous interactions. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) cooperate reciprocally according to direct and generalized reciprocity. In a sequence of four consecutive experiments, we show that odour cues from a cooperating conspecific are sufficient to induce the altruistic help of rats in a food-exchange task. When rats were enabled to help a non-cooperative partner while receiving olfactory information from a rat helping a conspecific in a different room, they helped their non-cooperative partner as if it was a cooperative one. We further show that the cues inducing altruistic behaviour are released during the act of cooperation and do not depend on the identity of the cue provider. Remarkably, olfactory cues seem to be more important for cooperation decisions than experiencing a cooperative act per se. This suggests that rats may signal their cooperation propensity to social partners, which increases their chances to receive help in return.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Gerber
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Wildlife Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Manon K Schweinfurth
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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28
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Martinez-Vaquero LA, Santos FC, Trianni V. Signalling boosts the evolution of cooperation in repeated group interactions. J R Soc Interface 2020; 17:20200635. [PMID: 33143593 PMCID: PMC7729056 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2020.0635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Many biological and social systems show significant levels of collective action. Several cooperation mechanisms have been proposed, yet they have been mostly studied independently. Among these, direct reciprocity supports cooperation on the basis of repeated interactions among individuals. Signals and quorum dynamics may also drive cooperation. Here, we resort to an evolutionary game-theoretical model to jointly analyse these two mechanisms and study the conditions in which evolution selects for direct reciprocity, signalling, or their combination. We show that signalling alone leads to higher levels of cooperation than when combined with reciprocity, while offering additional robustness against errors. Specifically, successful strategies in the realm of direct reciprocity are often not selected in the presence of signalling, and memory of past interactions is only exploited opportunistically in the case of earlier coordination failure. Differently, signalling always evolves, even when costly. In the light of these results, it may be easier to understand why direct reciprocity has been observed only in a limited number of cases among non-humans, whereas signalling is widespread at all levels of complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A. Martinez-Vaquero
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies National Research Council of Italy, via San Martino della Battaglia 44, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francisco C. Santos
- INESC-ID Lisboa and Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vito Trianni
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies National Research Council of Italy, via San Martino della Battaglia 44, 00185 Rome, Italy
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29
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van Gurp S, Hoog J, Kalenscher T, van Wingerden M. Vicarious reward unblocks associative learning about novel cues in male rats. eLife 2020; 9:60755. [PMID: 33001030 PMCID: PMC7529453 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Many species, including rats, are sensitive to social signals and their valuation is important in social learning. Here we introduce a task that investigates if mutual reward delivery in male rats can drive associative learning. We found that when actor rats have fully learned a stimulus-self-reward association, adding a cue that predicted additional reward to a partner unblocked associative learning about this cue. By contrast, additional cues that did not predict partner reward remained blocked from acquiring positive associative value. Importantly, this social unblocking effect was still present when controlling for secondary reinforcement but absent when social information exchange was impeded, when mutual reward outcomes were disadvantageously unequal to the actor or when the added cue predicted reward delivery to an empty chamber. Taken together, these results suggest that mutual rewards can drive associative learning in rats and is dependent on vicariously experienced social and food-related cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander van Gurp
- Social Rodent Lab, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jochen Hoog
- Social Rodent Lab, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marijn van Wingerden
- Social Rodent Lab, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
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30
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Naef J, Taborsky M. Punishment controls helper defence against egg predators but not fish predators in cooperatively breeding cichlids. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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31
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Yanni D, Jacobeen S, Márquez-Zacarías P, Weitz JS, Ratcliff WC, Yunker PJ. Topological constraints in early multicellularity favor reproductive division of labor. eLife 2020; 9:e54348. [PMID: 32940598 PMCID: PMC7609046 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive division of labor (e.g. germ-soma specialization) is a hallmark of the evolution of multicellularity, signifying the emergence of a new type of individual and facilitating the evolution of increased organismal complexity. A large body of work from evolutionary biology, economics, and ecology has shown that specialization is beneficial when further division of labor produces an accelerating increase in absolute productivity (i.e. productivity is a convex function of specialization). Here we show that reproductive specialization is qualitatively different from classical models of resource sharing, and can evolve even when the benefits of specialization are saturating (i.e. productivity is a concave function of specialization). Through analytical theory and evolutionary individual-based simulations, we demonstrate that reproductive specialization is strongly favored in sparse networks of cellular interactions that reflect the morphology of early, simple multicellular organisms, highlighting the importance of restricted social interactions in the evolution of reproductive specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Yanni
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Shane Jacobeen
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Pedro Márquez-Zacarías
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Quantitative Biosciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Joshua S Weitz
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - William C Ratcliff
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
| | - Peter J Yunker
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaUnited States
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32
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de Freslon I, Peralta JM, Strappini AC, Monti G. Understanding Allogrooming Through a Dynamic Social Network Approach: An Example in a Group of Dairy Cows. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:535. [PMID: 32851054 PMCID: PMC7417353 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For gregarious species such as domestic cattle, the social environment is a very important determinant of their welfare and fitness. Understanding the complexity of cows' relationships can assist the development of management practices that are more integrated with the cows' social behavioral processes. The two aims of this study were: (1) to determine the dynamics of affiliative relationships, as indicated by allogrooming, by means of stochastic actor-oriented modeling, in dairy cows during early lactation; (2) to explore the underlying processes and the individual attributes, such as age, social rank and reproductive state, that could shape network pattern changes in grooming contacts between individual. We observed the allogrooming behavior of a dynamic group of 38 dairy cows for 4 h per day for 30 days. Using stochastic actor-oriented models, we modeled the dynamics of weekly contacts and studied how structural processes (e.g., reciprocity, transitivity, or popularity) and individual attributes (i.e., age, social rank, and reproductive state) influence network changes. We found that cows tended to groom individuals that had previously groomed them, implying a possible cooperation. Cows that groomed more actively did not appear to have a preference for specific individuals in the herd, and in return, tended to be groomed by fewer cows over time. Older individuals groomed more cows than younger ones, indicating that allogrooming could be related to seniority. Cows groomed mainly individuals of similar age, suggesting that familiarity and growing up together enhanced social grooming. Over time, cows with higher social rank were groomed by fewer cows and individuals recently reintroduced to the group groomed more herdmates. The study of social network dynamics can be used to better understand the complexity and non-linearity of cow relationships. Our findings, along with further research, can complement and strengthen the design of improved management practices that are more in line with the natural social behavior of cows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inés de Freslon
- Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Preventive Veterinary Medicine Institute, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - J M Peralta
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, United States
| | - Ana C Strappini
- Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Animal Science Institute, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Gustavo Monti
- Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Preventive Veterinary Medicine Institute, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
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33
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Kentrop J, Kalamari A, Danesi CH, Kentrop JJ, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Joëls M, van der Veen R. Pro-social preference in an automated operant two-choice reward task under different housing conditions: Exploratory studies on pro-social decision making. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100827. [PMID: 32739841 PMCID: PMC7393525 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we aimed to develop a behavioral task that measures pro-social decision making in rats. A fully automated, operant pro-social two-choice task is introduced that quantifies pro-social preferences for a mutual food reward in a set-up with tightly controlled task contingencies. Pairs of same-sex adult Wistar rats were placed in an operant chamber divided into two compartments (one rat per compartment), separated by a transparent barrier with holes that allowed the rats to see, hear, smell, but not touch each other. Test rats could earn a sucrose pellet either for themselves (own reward) or for themselves and the partner (both reward) by means of lever pressing. On average, male rats showed a 60 % preference for the lever that yielded a food reward for both themselves and their partner. In contrast, females did not show lever preference, regardless of the estrous cycle phase. Next, the impact of juvenile environmental factors on male rat social decision making was studied. Males were group-housed from postnatal day 26 onwards in complex housing Marlau™ cages that provided social and physical enrichment and stimulation in the form of novelty. Complex housed males did not show a preference for the pro-social lever.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiska Kentrop
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Aikaterini Kalamari
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Chiara Hinna Danesi
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - John J Kentrop
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Dept. Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Primary Care Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marian Joëls
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Rixt van der Veen
- Dept. Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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34
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Freire IT, Moulin-Frier C, Sanchez-Fibla M, Arsiwalla XD, Verschure PFMJ. Modeling the formation of social conventions from embodied real-time interactions. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234434. [PMID: 32569266 PMCID: PMC7307740 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
What is the role of real-time control and learning in the formation of social conventions? To answer this question, we propose a computational model that matches human behavioral data in a social decision-making game that was analyzed both in discrete-time and continuous-time setups. Furthermore, unlike previous approaches, our model takes into account the role of sensorimotor control loops in embodied decision-making scenarios. For this purpose, we introduce the Control-based Reinforcement Learning (CRL) model. CRL is grounded in the Distributed Adaptive Control (DAC) theory of mind and brain, where low-level sensorimotor control is modulated through perceptual and behavioral learning in a layered structure. CRL follows these principles by implementing a feedback control loop handling the agent’s reactive behaviors (pre-wired reflexes), along with an Adaptive Layer that uses reinforcement learning to maximize long-term reward. We test our model in a multi-agent game-theoretic task in which coordination must be achieved to find an optimal solution. We show that CRL is able to reach human-level performance on standard game-theoretic metrics such as efficiency in acquiring rewards and fairness in reward distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismael T. Freire
- SPECS Lab, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | | | - Paul F. M. J. Verschure
- SPECS Lab, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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35
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Schneeberger K, Röder G, Taborsky M. The smell of hunger: Norway rats provision social partners based on odour cues of need. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000628. [PMID: 32208414 PMCID: PMC7092957 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
When individuals exchange helpful acts reciprocally, increasing the benefit of the receiver can enhance its propensity to return a favour, as pay-offs are typically correlated in iterated interactions. Therefore, reciprocally cooperating animals should consider the relative benefit for the receiver when deciding to help a conspecific. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) exchange food reciprocally and thereby take into account both the cost of helping and the potential benefit to the receiver. By using a variant of the sequential iterated prisoner’s dilemma paradigm, we show that rats may determine the need of another individual by olfactory cues alone. In an experimental food-exchange task, test subjects were provided with odour cues from hungry or satiated conspecifics located in a different room. Our results show that wild-type Norway rats provide help to a stooge quicker when they receive odour cues from a hungry rather than from a satiated conspecific. Using chemical analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we identify seven volatile organic compounds that differ in their abundance between hungry and satiated rats. Combined, this “smell of hunger” can apparently serve as a reliable cue of need in reciprocal cooperation, which supports the hypothesis of honest signalling. Rats provide more food to hungry fellow rats than to satiated ones. This study shows that a rat can assess the need of their partner using odor cues alone, and identifies the volatile organic compounds responsible for this "smell of hunger," a potential example of honest signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Schneeberger
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, Behavioural Ecology Division, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Animal Ecology Group, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Gregory Röder
- Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology (FARCE), Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, Behavioural Ecology Division, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Carter GG, Farine DR, Crisp RJ, Vrtilek JK, Ripperger SP, Page RA. Development of New Food-Sharing Relationships in Vampire Bats. Curr Biol 2020; 30:1275-1279.e3. [PMID: 32197089 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Some nonhuman animals form adaptive long-term cooperative relationships with nonkin that seem analogous in form and function to human friendship [1-4]. However, it remains unclear how these bonds initially form, especially when they entail investments of time and energy. Theory suggests individuals can reduce the risk of exploitation by initially spreading out smaller cooperative investments across time [e.g., 5] or partners [6], then gradually escalating investments in more cooperative partnerships [7]. Despite its intuitive appeal, this raising-the-stakes model [7] has gained surprisingly scarce empirical support. Although human strangers do "raise the stakes" when making bids in cooperation games [8], there has been no clear evidence for raising the stakes during formation of social bonds in nature. Existing studies are limited to cooperative interactions with severe power asymmetries (e.g., the cleaner-client fish mutualism [9]) or snapshots of a single behavior within established relationships (grooming in primates [10-13]). Raising the stakes during relationship formation might involve escalating to more costly behaviors. For example, individuals could "test the waters" by first clustering for warmth (no cost), then conditionally grooming (low cost), and eventually providing coalitionary support (high cost). Detecting such a pattern requires introducing random strangers and measuring the emergence of natural helping behaviors that vary in costs. We performed this test by tracking the emergence of social grooming and regurgitated food donations among previously unfamiliar captive vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) over 15 months. We found compelling evidence that vampire bats selectively escalate low-cost grooming before developing higher-cost food-sharing relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald G Carter
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panamá.
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78457, Germany; Chair of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78457, Germany
| | - Rachel J Crisp
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panamá
| | - Julia K Vrtilek
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panamá
| | - Simon P Ripperger
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panamá; Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Rachel A Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panamá
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Gerber L, Connor RC, King SL, Allen SJ, Wittwer S, Bizzozzero MR, Friedman WR, Kalberer S, Sherwin WB, Wild S, Willems EP, Krützen M. Affiliation history and age similarity predict alliance formation in adult male bottlenose dolphins. Behav Ecol 2020; 31:361-370. [PMID: 32210525 PMCID: PMC7083095 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Male alliances are an intriguing phenomenon in the context of reproduction since, in most taxa, males compete over an indivisible resource, female fertilization. Adult male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, form long-term, multilevel alliances to sequester estrus females. These alliances are therefore critical to male reproductive success. Yet, the long-term processes leading to the formation of such complex social bonds are still poorly understood. To identify the criteria by which male dolphins form social bonds with other males, we adopted a long-term approach by investigating the ontogeny of alliance formation. We followed the individual careers of 59 males for 14 years while they transitioned from adolescence (8-14 years of age) to adulthood (15-21 years old). Analyzing their genetic relationships and social associations in both age groups, we found that the vast majority of social bonds present in adolescence persisted through time. Male associations in early life predict alliance partners as adults. Kinship patterns explained associations during adolescence but not during adulthood. Instead, adult males associated with males of similar age. Our findings suggest that social bonds among peers, rather than kinship, play a central role in the development of adult male polyadic cooperation in dolphins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Gerber
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Genetics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Stephanie L King
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- School of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Simon J Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- School of Biological Sciences and Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Samuel Wittwer
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Genetics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manuela R Bizzozzero
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Genetics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Whitney R Friedman
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - William B Sherwin
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sonja Wild
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Lab, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Erik P Willems
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Genetics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Krützen
- Department of Anthropology, Evolutionary Genetics Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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38
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Feeney WE, Riehl C. Monogamy without parental care? Social and genetic mating systems of avian brood parasites. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 374:20180201. [PMID: 30967092 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Classic evolutionary theory predicts that monogamy should be intimately linked with parental care. It has long been assumed, therefore, that avian brood parasites-which lay their eggs in the nests of 'host' species and provide little, if any, parental care-should be overwhelmingly promiscuous. However, recent studies have revealed that the social mating systems of brood parasites are surprisingly diverse, encompassing lek polygyny, monogamy, polygamy and promiscuity. What ecological or phylogenetic factors explain this variation, and why are some brood parasites apparently monogamous? Here we review the social and genetic mating systems of all 75 brood parasitic species for which data are available and evaluate several hypotheses that may help explain these patterns. We find that social monogamy is widespread, often co-occurring with territoriality and cooperative behaviour by the mated pair. Comparative studies, though preliminary, suggest that in some species, monogamy is associated with low host density and polygamy with higher host density. Interestingly, molecular data show that genetic and social mating systems can be entirely decoupled: genetic monogamy can occur in parasitic species that lack behavioural pair-bonds, possibly as a by-product of territoriality; conversely, social monogamy has been reported in parasites that are genetically polygamous. This synthesis suggests that social and genetic monogamy may result from very different selective pressures, and that male-female cooperative behaviours, population density and territoriality may all interact to favour the evolution of monogamous mating in brood parasites. Given that detailed descriptive data of social, and especially genetic, mating systems are still lacking for the majority of brood parasitic species, definitive tests of these hypotheses await future work. This article is part of the theme issue 'The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern'.
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Affiliation(s)
- William E Feeney
- 1 Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University , Nathan, Queensland 4014 , Australia.,2 School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland , Brisbane, Queensland 4072 , Australia
| | - Christina Riehl
- 3 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University , 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544 , USA
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Naef J, Taborsky M. Commodity-specific punishment for experimentally induced defection in cooperatively breeding fish. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:191808. [PMID: 32257335 PMCID: PMC7062066 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Coercion is an important but underrated component in the evolution of cooperative behaviour. According to the pay-to-stay hypothesis of cooperative breeding, subordinates trade alloparental care for the concession to stay in the group. Punishment of idle subordinates is a key prediction of this hypothesis, which has received some experimental scrutiny. However, previous studies neither allowed separating between punishment and effects of disruption of social dynamics, nor did they differentiate between different helping behaviours that may reflect either mutualistic or reciprocal interaction dynamics. In the cooperative breeder Neolamprologus pulcher, we experimentally engineered the ability of subordinates to contribute to alloparental care by manipulating two different helping behaviours independently from one another in a full factorial design. We recorded the treatment effects on breeder aggression, subordinate helping efforts and submissive displays. We found two divergent regulatory mechanisms of cooperation, dependent on behavioural function. Experimental impediment of territory maintenance of subordinates triggered punishment by dominants, whereas prevented defence against egg predators released a compensatory response of subordinates without any enforcement, suggesting pre-emptive appeasement. These effects occurred independently of one another. Apparently, in the complex negotiation process among members of cooperative groups, behaviours fulfilling different functions may be regulated by divergent interaction mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Naef
- Department for Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, Hinterkappelen CH-3032, Switzerland
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40
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Taborsky M, Riebli T. Coaction vs. Reciprocal Cooperation Among Unrelated Individuals in Social Cichlids. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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41
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Schweinfurth MK, Taborsky M. Rats play tit-for-tat instead of integrating social experience over multiple interactions. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20192423. [PMID: 31937222 PMCID: PMC7003459 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Theoretical models of cooperation typically assume that agents use simple rules based on last encounters, such as 'tit-for-tat', to reciprocate help. By contrast, empiricists generally suppose that animals integrate multiple experiences over longer timespans. Here, we compared these two alternative hypotheses by exposing Norway rats to partners that cooperated on three consecutive days but failed to cooperate on the fourth day, and to partners that did the exact opposite. In additional controls, focal rats experienced cooperating and defecting partners only once. In a bar-pulling setup, focal rats based their decision to provide partners with food on last encounters instead of overall cooperation levels. To check whether this might be owing to a lack of memory capacity, we tested whether rats remember the outcome of encounters that had happened three days before. Cooperation was not diminished by the intermediate time interval. We conclude that rats reciprocate help mainly based on most recent encounters instead of integrating social experience over longer timespans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon K. Schweinfurth
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
- Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, Wohlenstr. 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, Wohlenstr. 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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42
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Brucks D, von Bayern AMP. Parrots Voluntarily Help Each Other to Obtain Food Rewards. Curr Biol 2020; 30:292-297.e5. [PMID: 31928868 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Helping others to obtain benefits, even at a cost to oneself, poses an evolutionary puzzle [1]. While kin selection explains such "selfless" acts among relatives, only reciprocity (paying back received favors) entails fitness benefits for unrelated individuals [2]. So far, experimental evidence for both prosocial helping (providing voluntary assistance for achieving an action-based goal) and reciprocity has been reported in a few mammals but no avian species [3]. In order to gain insights into the evolutionary origins of these behaviors, the capacity of non-mammalian species for prosociality and for reciprocity needs to be investigated. We tested two parrot species in an instrumental-helping paradigm involving "token transfer." Here, actors could provide tokens to their neighbor, who could exchange them with an experimenter for food. To verify whether the parrots understood the task's contingencies, we systematically varied the presence of a partner and the possibility for exchange. We found that African grey parrots voluntarily and spontaneously transferred tokens to conspecific partners, whereas significantly fewer transfers occurred in the control conditions. Transfers were affected by the strength of the dyads' affiliation and partially by the receivers' attention-getting behaviors. Furthermore, the birds reciprocated the help once the roles were reversed. Blue-headed macaws, in contrast, transferred hardly any tokens. Species differences in social tolerance might explain this discrepancy. These findings show that instrumental helping based on a prosocial attitude, accompanied but potentially not sustained by reciprocity, is present in parrots, suggesting that this capacity evolved convergently in this avian group and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Désirée Brucks
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany; Max Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundación, Av. Loro Parque, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain.
| | - Auguste M P von Bayern
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Str., 82319 Seewiesen, Germany; Max Planck Comparative Cognition Research Station, Loro Parque Fundación, Av. Loro Parque, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain; Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
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43
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Schweinfurth MK, Call J. Reciprocity: Different behavioural strategies, cognitive mechanisms and psychological processes. Learn Behav 2019; 47:284-301. [PMID: 31676946 PMCID: PMC6877494 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-019-00394-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Reciprocity is probably one of the most debated theories in evolutionary research. After more than 40 years of research, some scientists conclude that reciprocity is an almost uniquely human trait mainly because it is cognitively demanding. Others, however, conclude that reciprocity is widespread and of great importance to many species. Yet, it is unclear how these species reciprocate, given its apparent cognitive complexity. Therefore, our aim was to unravel the psychological processes underlying reciprocity. By bringing together findings from studies investigating different aspects of reciprocity, we show that reciprocity is a rich concept with different behavioural strategies and cognitive mechanisms that require very different psychological processes. We reviewed evidence from three textbook examples, i.e. the Norway rat, common vampire bat and brown capuchin monkey, and show that the species use different strategies and mechanisms to reciprocate. We continue by examining the psychological processes of reciprocity. We show that the cognitive load varies between different forms of reciprocity. Several factors can lower the memory demands of reciprocity such as distinctiveness of encounters, memory of details and network size. Furthermore, there are different information operation systems in place, which also vary in their cognitive load due to assessing the number of encounters and the quality and quantity of help. We conclude that many species possess the psychological processes to show some form of reciprocity. Hence, reciprocity might be a widespread phenomenon that varies in terms of strategies and mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon K Schweinfurth
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, KY16 9JP, St Andrews, Scotland.
| | - Josep Call
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, KY16 9JP, St Andrews, Scotland
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44
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Massen JJ, Behrens F, Martin JS, Stocker M, Brosnan SF. A comparative approach to affect and cooperation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:370-387. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Range F, Kassis A, Taborsky M, Boada M, Marshall-Pescini S. Wolves and dogs recruit human partners in the cooperative string-pulling task. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17591. [PMID: 31772201 PMCID: PMC6879616 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53632-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In comparison to non-human animals, humans are highly flexible in cooperative tasks, which may be a result of their ability to understand a partner’s role in such interactions. Here, we tested if wolves and dogs could flexibly adjust their behaviour according to whether they needed a partner to solve a cooperative loose string-pulling paradigm. First, we presented animals with a delay condition where a human partner was released after the subject so that the animal had to delay pulling the string to enable coordinated pulling with the human partner. Subsequently, we investigated whether subjects would recruit a partner depending on whether they could operate the apparatus alone, or help from a partner was required. Both wolves and dogs successfully waited in the delay condition in 88% of the trials. Experimental subjects were also successful in recruiting a partner, which occurred significantly more often in the cooperation trials than in the solo pulling condition. No species differences were found in either experiment. These results suggest that both wolves and dogs have some understanding of whether a social partner is needed to accomplish a task, which enables behavioural coordination and cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Range
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160, Vienna, Austria. .,Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Alexandra Kassis
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Mónica Boada
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160, Vienna, Austria.,Grupo UCM de Psicobiología Social, Evolutiva y Comparada, Departamento de Psicobiología, Facultad de Psicología, Campus de Somosaguas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28223, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160, Vienna, Austria.,Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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46
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Conde-Moro AR, Rocha-Almeida F, Sánchez-Campusano R, Delgado-García JM, Gruart A. The activity of the prelimbic cortex in rats is enhanced during the cooperative acquisition of an instrumental learning task. Prog Neurobiol 2019; 183:101692. [PMID: 31521703 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.101692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify the functional properties of the prefrontal cortex that allow animals to work together to obtain a mutual reward. We induced pairs of male rats to develop a cooperative behavior in two adjacent Skinner boxes divided by a metallic grille. The experimental boxes allowed the two rats to see and to smell each other and to have limited physical contact through the grille. Rats were progressively trained to climb onto two separate platforms (and stay there simultaneously for >0.5 s) to get food pellets for both. This set-up was compatible with the in vivo recording of local field potentials (LFPs) at the prelimbic (PrL) cortex throughout the task. A dominant delta/theta activity appeared mostly during the period in which rats were located on the platforms. Spectral powers were larger when rats had to stay together on the platforms than when they jumped individually onto them. When paired together, rats presented significant differences in the power of delta and low theta bands depending if they were leading or following the joint activity. PrL cortex encodes neural commands related to the individual and joint acquisition of an operant conditioning task by behaving rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Conde-Moro
- Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville-41013, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Agnès Gruart
- Division of Neurosciences, Pablo de Olavide University, Seville-41013, Spain.
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47
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Schweinfurth MK, Call J. Revisiting the possibility of reciprocal help in non-human primates. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 104:73-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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48
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Schweinfurth MK, Taborsky M. Reciprocal Trading of Different Commodities in Norway Rats. Curr Biol 2019; 28:594-599.e3. [PMID: 29398215 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of reciprocal cooperation in non-human animals is hotly debated [1, 2]. Part of this dispute rests on the assumption that reciprocity means paying like with like [3]. However, exchanges between social partners may involve different commodities and services. Hitherto, there is no experimental evidence that animals other than primates exchange different commodities among conspecifics based on the decision rules of direct reciprocity. Here, we show that Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) apply direct reciprocity rules when exchanging two different social services: food provisioning and allogrooming. Focal rats were made to experience partners either cooperating or non-cooperating in one of the two commodities. Afterward, they had the opportunity to reciprocate favors by the alternative service. Test rats traded allogrooming against food provisioning, and vice versa, thereby acting by the rules of direct reciprocity. This might indicate that reciprocal altruism among non-human animals is much more widespread than currently assumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon K Schweinfurth
- University of Bern, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Behavioural Ecology, Wohlenstr. 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland; University of St Andrews, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, Westburn Lane, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland.
| | - Michael Taborsky
- University of Bern, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Behavioural Ecology, Wohlenstr. 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.
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49
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Schweinfurth MK, Aeschbacher J, Santi M, Taborsky M. Male Norway rats cooperate according to direct but not generalized reciprocity rules. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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50
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Antonioni A, Martinez-Vaquero LA, Mathis C, Peel L, Stella M. Individual perception dynamics in drunk games. Phys Rev E 2019; 99:052311. [PMID: 31212578 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.99.052311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We study the effects of individual perceptions of payoffs in two-player games. In particular we consider the setting in which individuals' perceptions of the game are influenced by their previous experiences and outcomes. Accordingly, we introduce a framework based on evolutionary games where individuals have the capacity to perceive their interactions in different ways. Starting from the narrative of social behaviors in a pub as an illustration, we first study the combination of the Prisoner's Dilemma and Harmony Game as two alternative perceptions of the same situation. Considering a selection of game pairs, our results show that the interplay between perception dynamics and game payoffs gives rise to nonlinear phenomena unexpected in each of the games separately, such as catastrophic phase transitions in the cooperation basin of attraction, Hopf bifurcations and cycles of cooperation and defection. Combining analytical techniques with multiagent simulations, we also show how introducing individual perceptions can cause nontrivial dynamical behaviors to emerge, which cannot be obtained by analyzing the system at a macroscopic level. Specifically, initial perception heterogeneities at the microscopic level can yield a polarization effect that is unpredictable at the macroscopic level. This framework opens the door to the exploration of new ways of understanding the link between the emergence of cooperation and individual preferences and perceptions, with potential applications beyond social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Antonioni
- Grupo Interdisciplinar de Sistemas Complejos (GISC), Departamento de Matemáticas, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, E-28911 Leganés, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis A Martinez-Vaquero
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of Italy (ISTC-CNR), 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Cole Mathis
- Beyond Center for Fundamental Questions in Science, Arizona State University, Tempe Arizona, USA
- Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe Arizona, USA
| | - Leto Peel
- ICTEAM, Université catholique de Louvain, Avenue George Lemaître 4, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Massimo Stella
- Institute for Complex Systems Simulation, University of Southampton, 4 University Road, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
- Complex Science Consulting, Via Amilcare Foscarini 2, 73100, Lecce, Italy
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