Reciprocal signaling in honeyguide-human mutualism.

Bibliographic Collection:

APE Field Course

Keywords:

Honey

Symbiosis

Publication Type: Journal Article

Authors: Spottiswoode, Claire N; Begg, Keith S; Begg, Colleen M

Year of Publication: 2016

Journal: Science

Volume: 353

Issue: 6297

Pagination: 387-9

Date Published: 2016 07 22

Publication Language: eng

ISSN: 1095-9203

Keywords: Animals, Bees, Birds, Cooperative Behavior, Honey, Human Activities, Humans, Mozambique, Symbiosis, Vocalization, Animal

Abstract:

Greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator) lead human honey-hunters to wild bees' nests, in a rare example of a mutualistic foraging partnership between humans and free-living wild animals. We show experimentally that a specialized vocal sound made by Mozambican honey-hunters seeking bees' nests elicits elevated cooperative behavior from honeyguides. The production of this sound increased the probability of being guided by a honeyguide from about 33 to 66% and the overall probability of thus finding a bees' nest from 17 to 54%, as compared with other animal or human sounds of similar amplitude. These results provide experimental evidence that a wild animal in a natural setting responds adaptively to a human signal of cooperation.

URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27463674

DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4885

Alternate Journal: Science

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