Co-evolutionary dynamics of collective action with signaling for a quorum.

ABSTRACT: Collective signaling for a quorum is found in a wide range of organisms that face collective action problems whose successful solution requires the participation of some quorum of the individuals present. These range from humans, to social insects, to bacteria. The mechanisms involved, the quorum required, and the size of the group may vary. Here we address the general question of the evolution of collective signaling at a high level of abstraction. We investigate the evolutionary dynamics of a population engaging in a signaling N-person game theoretic model. Parameter settings allow for loners and cheaters, and for costly or costless signals. We find a rich dynamics, showing how natural selection, operating on a population of individuals endowed with the simplest strategies, is able to ev

SUBMITTER: Pacheco JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4338077 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature