Chimpanzee groups achieve sustainable resource use in a common-pool resource dilemma

Abstract

Common-pool resource dilemmas are group resource sustainability problems that are sensitive to over-extraction. While human strategies for overcoming common-pool resource dilemmas are well studied, the comparative evolutionary perspective has received little attention. Here, we compare resource management of chimpanzees (N = 15) grouped as dyads and quartets using an original experimental paradigm. The participants could use sticks to feed from a pool of yoghurt. The number of sticks equalled the number of players, and removing all of the sticks triggered resource collapse, thereby creating a social dilemma. Quartets were found to maintain the resource longer than dyads. Quartets’, but not dyads’, success was positively associated with social tolerance. Furthermore, quartets were more successful when the dominant ape acquired the relative lowest payoff. These results suggest that chimpanzees respond differently to cooperative sustainability problems depending on group size, with social tolerance playing an important role. The findings have implications for studying the evolution and diversity of hominid cooperation, in particular, highlighting that group size should be carefully considered in the design of non-human primate cooperation experiments.