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Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) communicate need, which elicits donation of food

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Schweinfurth_2018_JCP_Norwayrats_AAM.pdf (1.454Mb)
Date
05/2018
Author
Schweinfurth, Manon K.
Taborsky, Michael
Keywords
Reciprocity
Cooperation
Communication
Altruism
Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma
BF Psychology
NDAS
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Abstract
Reciprocal cooperation has been observed in a wide range of taxa, but the proximate mechanisms underlying the exchange of help are yet unclear. Norway rats reciprocate help received from partners in an iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma game. For donors, this involves accepting own costs to the benefit of a partner, without obtaining immediate benefits in return. We studied whether such altruistic acts are conditional on the communication of the recipient’s need. Our results show that in a 2-player mutual food-provisioning task, prospective recipients show a behavioral cascade reflecting increasing intensity. First, prospective receivers reach out for the food themselves, then they emit ultrasonic calls toward their partner, before finally showing noisy attention-grabbing behaviors. Food-deprived individuals communicate need more intensively than satiated ones. In return, donors provide help corresponding to the intensity of the recipients’ communication. This indicates that rats communicate their need, which changes the helping propensity of potential donors. Communication of need and corresponding adjustment of cooperation may be a widespread proximate mechanism explaining the mutual exchange of services between animals.
Citation
Schweinfurth , M K & Taborsky , M 2018 , ' Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) communicate need, which elicits donation of food ' , Journal of Comparative Psychology , vol. 132 , no. 2 , pp. 119-129 . https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000102
Publication
Journal of Comparative Psychology
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000102
ISSN
0735-7036
Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2018 American Psychological Association. 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 may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000102
Description
Funding was provided by Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) grants 310030B_138660 and 31003A_156152 to Michael Taborsky.
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URL
https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/com0000102.supp
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/17534

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