Evolutionary dynamics of group cooperation with asymmetrical environmental feedback

Optimal control policies for evolutionary dynamics with environmental feedback

We study a dynamical model of a population of cooperators and defectors whose actions have long-term consequences on environmental “commons” what we term the “resource”. Cooperators contribute to restoring the resource whereas defectors degrade it. The population dynamics evolve according to a replicator equation coupled with an environmental state. Our goal is to identify methods of influencin...

Evolutionary dynamics of cooperation

Cooperation means a donor pays a cost, c, for a recipient to get a benefit b. In evolutionary biology, cost and benefit are measured in terms of fitness. While mutation and selection represent the main ‘forces’ of evolutionary dynamics, cooperation is a fundamental principle that is required for every level of biological organization. Individual cells rely on cooperation among their components....

Evolutionary foundations of cooperation and group cohesion

In biology, the evolution of increasingly cooperative groups has shaped the history of life. Genes collaborate in the control of cells; cells efficiently divide tasks to produce cohesive multicellular individuals; individual members of insect colonies cooperate in integrated societies. Biological cooperation provides a foundation on which to understand human behavior. Conceptually, the economic...

Evolutionary dynamics of cooperation in neutral populations

Cooperation is a difficult proposition in the face of Darwinian selection. Those that defect have an evolutionary advantage over cooperators who should therefore die out. However, spatial structure enables cooperators to survive through the formation of homogeneous clusters, which is the hallmark of network reciprocity. Here we go beyond this traditional setup and study the spatiotemporal dynam...

Evolutionary Game Dynamics, Cooperation, and Costly Punishment