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Reciprocal trading of different commodities in Norway rats

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Schweinfurth_Taborsky_2018_Reciprocal_trading_of_different_commodities_in_Norway_rats.pdf (1.164Mb)
Date
19/02/2018
Author
Schweinfurth, Manon K.
Taborsky, Michael
Keywords
Reciprocity
Rattus norvegicus
Allogrooming
Food provisioning
Cooperation
Helping
Exchange
Trade
BF Psychology
NDAS
BDC
R2C
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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.
Citation
Schweinfurth , M K & Taborsky , M 2018 , ' Reciprocal trading of different commodities in Norway rats ' , Current Biology , vol. 28 , no. 4 , e3 , pp. 594-599 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.058
Publication
Current Biology
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.058
ISSN
0960-9822
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created accepted version manuscript following peer review and as such may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.058
Description
Funding was provided by Swiss National Science Foundation grants 310030B_138660 and 31003A_ 156152 to M.T.
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/17526

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