Ecology and the evolution of cooperation by partner choice and reciprocity.

ABSTRACT: Organisms help each other to get resources, protection from enemies, and other goods, but not as much as would be best for their population. Partner choice, direct reciprocity and indirect reciprocity foster cooperation and help to align individual interests with the social good. However, we still do not know what ecological variables affect their success and interaction. I simulated the evolution of partner choice, direct reciprocity and indirect reciprocity, and the production of a good that partners donate to each other. I show that, with few exceptions, partner choice evolves whenever there is an initial social dilemma, under a wider range of conditions than direct reciprocity. Direct reciprocity is deleterious when the shared good is highly essential or very influential. Both partner

SUBMITTER: Fuentes M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11805957 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature