Stochasticity, Selection, and the Evolution of Cooperation in a Two-Level Moran Model of the Snowdrift Game

Joint Authors

McLoone, Brian
Fan, Wai-Tong Louis
Pham, Adam
Smead, Rory
Loewe, Laurence

Source

Complexity

Issue

Vol. 2018, Issue 2018 (31 Dec. 2018), pp.1-14, 14 p.

Publisher

Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Publication Date

2018-02-13

Country of Publication

Egypt

No. of Pages

14

Main Subjects

Philosophy

Abstract EN

The Snowdrift Game, also known as the Hawk-Dove Game, is a social dilemma in which an individual can participate (cooperate) or not (defect) in producing a public good.

It is relevant to a number of collective action problems in biology.

In a population of individuals playing this game, traditional evolutionary models, in which the dynamics are continuous and deterministic, predict a stable, interior equilibrium frequency of cooperators.

Here, we examine how finite population size and multilevel selection affect the evolution of cooperation in this game using a two-level Moran process, which involves discrete, stochastic dynamics.

Our analysis has two main results.

First, we find that multilevel selection in this model can yield significantly higher levels of cooperation than one finds in traditional models.

Second, we identify a threshold effect for the payoff matrix in the Snowdrift Game, such that below (above) a determinate cost-to-benefit ratio, cooperation will almost surely fix (go extinct) in the population.

This second result calls into question the explanatory reach of traditional continuous models and suggests a possible alternative explanation for high levels of cooperative behavior in nature.

American Psychological Association (APA)

McLoone, Brian& Fan, Wai-Tong Louis& Pham, Adam& Smead, Rory& Loewe, Laurence. 2018. Stochasticity, Selection, and the Evolution of Cooperation in a Two-Level Moran Model of the Snowdrift Game. Complexity،Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-14.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1136961

Modern Language Association (MLA)

McLoone, Brian…[et al.]. Stochasticity, Selection, and the Evolution of Cooperation in a Two-Level Moran Model of the Snowdrift Game. Complexity No. 2018 (2018), pp.1-14.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1136961

American Medical Association (AMA)

McLoone, Brian& Fan, Wai-Tong Louis& Pham, Adam& Smead, Rory& Loewe, Laurence. Stochasticity, Selection, and the Evolution of Cooperation in a Two-Level Moran Model of the Snowdrift Game. Complexity. 2018. Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-14.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1136961

Data Type

Journal Articles

Language

English

Notes

Includes bibliographical references

Record ID

BIM-1136961