A brown rat grooming another brown rat. Groomees were prepared to reward their groomers with food
Schweinfurth, Manon Karin (IEE)
Scientists in Bern have shown that animals other than humans can reciprocate an action by exchanging two different social services, in their case food and grooming.
Many examples exist in nature of tit-for-tat cooperation between animals, for example the sharing of food among bees and ants or mutual grooming among birds or apes. However, this cooperation was always thought to follow the principle of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”, in other words one would be repaid in kind. Being repaid in another commodity or service was thought to be unique to humans.
Now, Manon Schweinfurth and Michael Taborsky at the Institute of Ecology and EvolutionExternal link at the University of Bern have shown how brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) apply direct reciprocity rules when exchanging two different social services: food provisioning and allogrooming (social grooming between members of the same species).
“Focal rats were made to experience partners either cooperating or non-cooperating in one of the two commodities. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to reciprocate favours by the alternative service,” they wrote in their paperExternal link “Reciprocal Trading of Different Commodities in Norway Rats” published in the journal Current Biology.
“Test rats traded allogrooming against food provisioning, and vice versa, thereby acting by the rules of direct reciprocity.”
Schweinfurth and Taborsky noted this might indicate that reciprocal altruism among non-human animals was much more widespread than currently assumed.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Has your continent reached its peak or is there still potential for economic growth?
Some regions of the world are on an upward trajectory with the promise of a steadily improving future. Where do you live? And in which direction is your region or continent developing?
This content was published on
There is no longer any danger of rockfall or landslide on the roads below the Graubünden village of Brienz, authorities say.
This content was published on
Europe’s biggest freshwater fish tastes better than its reputation, say fishermen in the French-speaking west of Switzerland.
Swiss authorities keep close eye on West Nile fever in Italy
This content was published on
Authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation after the death toll in Italy due to the disease has risen to seven.
Bern biodiversity project brings boost for forest bees
This content was published on
More sunlit areas in forests can boost the number of wild bees – both in overall terms and in terms of species diversity.
Swiss president kicks off National Day celebrations on Rütli meadow
This content was published on
Several hundred people gathered on the Rütli in central Switzerland at midday on Friday to celebrate the national Swiss holiday, before Karin Keller-Sutter addressed the crowd.
US sets deadline for Novartis and other pharma firms to lower prices
This content was published on
US President Donald Trump says he has sent letters to Swiss giant Novartis and other pharma firms calling for lower drug prices in the United States – or face retaliation.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Giving lab rats a break
This content was published on
In Switzerland there are alternatives to animal experimentation, yet they have been slow to win the acceptance of researchers.
Reconstructed rat brain portion marks simulation milestone
This content was published on
The Blue Brain Project, led by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, has completed the first draft of a digital reconstruction of a small portion of the rat brain.
This content was published on
The number of animals used in experiments is continuing to fall, according to the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office.
This content was published on
The treatment, which targets the neural circuits in the spinal cord that control the muscles used for walking, could lead to clinical trials in humans in five years time, scientists hope. The spinal cord is the pathway through which signals from the brain reach the muscles. If it is damaged, transmission is interrupted, preventing muscle…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.