KTH/SU Mathematics Colloquium
08-04-23
Peter Taylor, Queens University
The evolution of tag-based cooperation
In the field of evolutionary ecology there has been much
interest recently in the evolution of cooperation in animal
societies. Many mechanisms have been proposed to enhance the
selective advantage of cooperation, and one of these is based on tag
recognition. In this system, every individual has a tag, and you
cooperate with anyone you meet who has the same tag. Does this
work? There is of course the problem of cheaters, those who have the
same tag as you but who don't reciprocate. A simple but powerful
method known as inclusive fitness has been developed to analyze such
questions. I will explain how it works and present a few sample results.