The ecology and evolution of human-wildlife cooperation

[摘要] 1. Human-wildlife cooperation is a type of mutualism in which a human and a wild,free-living animal actively coordinate their behaviour to achieve a common beneficial outcome.2. While other cooperative human-animal interactions involving captive coercion or artificial selection (including domestication) have received extensive attention, we lack integrated insights into the ecology and evolution of humanwildlife cooperative interactions.3. Here, we review and synthesise the function, mechanism, development, andevolution of human-wildlife cooperation.4. Active cases involve people cooperating with greater honeyguide birds and withtwo dolphin species, while historical cases involve wolves and orcas.5. In all cases, a food source located by the animal is made available to both speciesby a tool-using human, coordinated with cues or signals.6. The mechanisms mediating the animal behaviours involved are unclear, butthey may resemble those underlying intraspecific cooperation and reducedneophobia.7. The skills required appear to develop at least partially by social learning in bothhumans and the animal partners. As a result, distinct behavioural variants haveemerged in each type of human-wildlife cooperative interaction in both species,and human-wildlife cooperation is embedded within local human cultures.8. We propose multiple potential origins for these unique cooperative interactions,and highlight how shifts to other interaction types threaten their persistence.9. Finally, we identify key questions for future research. We advocate an approachthat integrates ecological, evolutionary and anthropological perspectives to advance our understanding of human-wildlife cooperation. In doing so, we will gainnew insights into the diversity of our ancestral, current and future interactionswith the natural world.

[学科分类] 护理学

[关键词] animal culture;cooperation;dolphins;honeyguides;human-wildlife interaction;mutualism;orcas;social learning;wolves