Faculty Opinions recommendation of Social transmission of information about a mutualist via trophallaxis in ant colonies.

Partner discrimination is crucial in mutualistic interactions between organisms to counteract cheating by the partner. Trophobiosis between ants and aphids is a model system of such mutualistic interaction. To establish and maintain the mutualistic association, ants need to correctly discriminate mutualistic aphids. However, the mechanism by which ants recognize aphids as their partners is poorly understood, despite its ecological and evolutionary importance. Here, we show for the first time the evidence that interaction with nest-mates that have tended aphids ( Aphis craccivora ) allows ants ( Tetramorium tsushimae ) to learn to recognize the aphid species as their partner. When ants had previously tended aphids, they moderated their aggressiveness towards aphids. More importantly, ants that had interacted with aphid-experienced nest-mates also reduced their aggressiveness towards aphids, even though they had never directly experienced them, indicating that aphid information was transmitted from aphid-experienced ants to inexperienced ants. Furthermore, inhibition of mouth-to-mouth contact (trophallaxis) from aphid-experienced ants to inexperienced ants by providing the inexperienced ants with artificial honeydew solution caused the inexperienced ants to become aggressive towards aphids. These results, with further supporting data, strongly suggest that ants transfer information on their mutualists during trophallactic interactions.

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Social transmission in the wild can reduce predation pressure on novel prey signals

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-24154-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Liisa Hämäläinen ◽

William Hoppitt ◽

Hannah M. Rowland ◽

Johanna Mappes ◽

Anthony J. Fulford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Dynamics ◽

Parus Major ◽

Predation Pressure ◽

Social Transmission ◽

Blue Tit ◽

Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Transmission Of Information ◽

In The Wild ◽

Animal Communities

AbstractSocial transmission of information is taxonomically widespread and could have profound effects on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of animal communities. Demonstrating this in the wild, however, has been challenging. Here we show by field experiment that social transmission among predators can shape how selection acts on prey defences. Using artificial prey and a novel approach in statistical analyses of social networks, we find that blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and great tit (Parus major) predators learn about prey defences by watching others. This shifts population preferences rapidly to match changes in prey profitability, and reduces predation pressure from naïve predators. Our results may help resolve how costly prey defences are maintained despite influxes of naïve juvenile predators, and suggest that accounting for social transmission is essential if we are to understand coevolutionary processes.

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Insights from social transmission of information in rodents

Genes Brain & Behavior ◽

10.1111/gbb.12534 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. e12534 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Marie H. Monfils ◽

Laura A. Agee

Keyword(s):

Social Transmission ◽

Transmission Of Information

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Adaptable Ancestors

How Children Invented Humanity ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190066864.003.0003 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 71-91

Author(s):

David F. Bjorklund

Keyword(s):

Natural Selection ◽

Evolutionary Change ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Social Transmission ◽

Significant Extent ◽

Transmission Of Information ◽

Selection Behavior ◽

Novel Environments ◽

High Level ◽

Or Genes

The high level of plasticity shown by children today was also a feature of our forechildren. Experiences early in life can modify the morphology or behavior of an animal and result in new pressures that can be the focus of natural selection. Behavior, in fact, takes the lead in evolution, because it is more susceptible to change than morphology or genes. Most of the changes early in development, at least for mammals, were accomplished in the presence of mothers. To a significant extent, mothers are the environment for young mammals, making mothers the environment for evolutionary change. Significant behavioral changes in evolution are most likely to occur in large-brained animals, who are better able to deal with novel environments through innovation and social transmission of information than smaller-brained animals.

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The Impact of Media Censorship: 1984 or Brave New World?

The American Economic Review ◽

10.1257/aer.20171765 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 109 (6) ◽

pp. 2294-2332 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Yuyu Chen ◽

David Y. Yang

Keyword(s):

New World ◽

Authoritarian Regimes ◽

Social Transmission ◽

Free Access ◽

Sensitive Information ◽

Transmission Of Information ◽

The Media ◽

Brave New World ◽

The Impact ◽

Media Censorship

Media censorship is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. We conduct a field experiment in China to measure the effects of providing citizens with access to an uncensored internet. We track subjects’ media consumption, beliefs regarding the media, economic beliefs, political attitudes, and behaviors over 18 months. We find four main results: (i) free access alone does not induce subjects to acquire politically sensitive information; (ii) temporary encouragement leads to a persistent increase in acquisition, indicating that demand is not permanently low; (iii) acquisition brings broad, substantial, and persistent changes to knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and intended behaviors; and (iv) social transmission of information is statistically significant but small in magnitude. We calibrate a simple model to show that the combination of low demand for uncensored information and the moderate social transmission means China’s censorship apparatus may remain robust to a large number of citizens receiving access to an uncensored internet. (JEL C93, D72, D83, L82, L86, L88, P36)

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