When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism (2024)

Lloyd-Jones, D. J., St Clair, J. J. H., Cram, D. L., Yassene, O., van der Wal, J. E. M., & Spottiswoode, C. N. (2022). When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1987), [20221443]. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1443

Lloyd-Jones, David J. ; St Clair, James J. H. ; Cram, Dominic L. et al. / When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2022 ; Vol. 289, No. 1987.

@article{4050df25164a489ba7409e5975a99be6,

title = "When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism",

abstract = "Many mutualisms are exploited by third-party species, which benefit without providing anything in return. Exploitation can either destabilize or promote mutualisms, via mechanisms that are highly dependent on the ecological context. Here we study a remarkable bird–human mutualism, in which wax-eating greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator) guide humans (Homo sapiens) to wild bees' nests, in an exchange of knowledge about the location of nests for access to the wax combs inside. We test whether the depletion of wax by mammalian and avian exploiter species either threatens or stabilizes the mutualism. Using camera traps, we monitored feeding visits to wax comb made available following honey harvests. We found that greater honeyguides face competition for wax from conspecifics and nine exploiter species, five of which were not previously known to consume wax. Our results support the hypothesis that heterospecific exploiters stabilize the mutualism, because wax depletion by these competitors probably limits feeding opportunities for conspecific exploiters, favouring the early-arriving individual that guided humans to the bees{\textquoteright} nest. These findings highlight the importance of the ecological context of species interactions and provide further evidence for how mutualisms can persist because of, and not in spite of, exploitation by third-party species.",

author = "Lloyd-Jones, {David J.} and {St Clair}, {James J. H.} and Cram, {Dominic L.} and Orlando Yassene and {van der Wal}, {Jessica E. M.} and Spottiswoode, {Claire N.}",

note = "Data accessibility statement: Data and code used in our analyses are available from the Dryad Digital Repository: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d7wm37q4m. Electronic supplementary material is available at Figshare: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6296372. Funding information: This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 725185).",

year = "2022",

month = nov,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1098/rspb.2022.1443",

language = "English",

volume = "289",

journal = "Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences",

issn = "0962-8452",

publisher = "The Royal Society",

number = "1987",

}

Lloyd-Jones, DJ, St Clair, JJH, Cram, DL, Yassene, O, van der Wal, JEM & Spottiswoode, CN 2022, 'When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism', Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 289, no. 1987, 20221443. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1443

When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism. / Lloyd-Jones, David J.; St Clair, James J. H.; Cram, Dominic L. et al.

In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 289, No. 1987, 20221443, 30.11.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism

AU - Lloyd-Jones, David J.

AU - St Clair, James J. H.

AU - Cram, Dominic L.

AU - Yassene, Orlando

AU - van der Wal, Jessica E. M.

AU - Spottiswoode, Claire N.

N1 - Data accessibility statement: Data and code used in our analyses are available from the Dryad Digital Repository: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.d7wm37q4m.Electronic supplementary material is available at Figshare: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6296372. Funding information: This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 725185).

PY - 2022/11/30

Y1 - 2022/11/30

N2 - Many mutualisms are exploited by third-party species, which benefit without providing anything in return. Exploitation can either destabilize or promote mutualisms, via mechanisms that are highly dependent on the ecological context. Here we study a remarkable bird–human mutualism, in which wax-eating greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator) guide humans (Homo sapiens) to wild bees' nests, in an exchange of knowledge about the location of nests for access to the wax combs inside. We test whether the depletion of wax by mammalian and avian exploiter species either threatens or stabilizes the mutualism. Using camera traps, we monitored feeding visits to wax comb made available following honey harvests. We found that greater honeyguides face competition for wax from conspecifics and nine exploiter species, five of which were not previously known to consume wax. Our results support the hypothesis that heterospecific exploiters stabilize the mutualism, because wax depletion by these competitors probably limits feeding opportunities for conspecific exploiters, favouring the early-arriving individual that guided humans to the bees’ nest. These findings highlight the importance of the ecological context of species interactions and provide further evidence for how mutualisms can persist because of, and not in spite of, exploitation by third-party species.

AB - Many mutualisms are exploited by third-party species, which benefit without providing anything in return. Exploitation can either destabilize or promote mutualisms, via mechanisms that are highly dependent on the ecological context. Here we study a remarkable bird–human mutualism, in which wax-eating greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator) guide humans (Homo sapiens) to wild bees' nests, in an exchange of knowledge about the location of nests for access to the wax combs inside. We test whether the depletion of wax by mammalian and avian exploiter species either threatens or stabilizes the mutualism. Using camera traps, we monitored feeding visits to wax comb made available following honey harvests. We found that greater honeyguides face competition for wax from conspecifics and nine exploiter species, five of which were not previously known to consume wax. Our results support the hypothesis that heterospecific exploiters stabilize the mutualism, because wax depletion by these competitors probably limits feeding opportunities for conspecific exploiters, favouring the early-arriving individual that guided humans to the bees’ nest. These findings highlight the importance of the ecological context of species interactions and provide further evidence for how mutualisms can persist because of, and not in spite of, exploitation by third-party species.

U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2022.1443

DO - 10.1098/rspb.2022.1443

M3 - Article

VL - 289

JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

SN - 0962-8452

IS - 1987

M1 - 20221443

ER -

Lloyd-Jones DJ, St Clair JJH, Cram DL, Yassene O, van der Wal JEM, Spottiswoode CN. When wax wanes: Competitors for beeswax stabilize rather than jeopardize the honeyguide–human mutualism. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2022 Nov 30;289(1987):20221443. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1443