When and how does mutation-generated variation promote the evolution of cooperation?
Summary: Mutation-generated variation in behavior is thought to promote the evolution of cooperation. Here, we study this by distinguishing two effects of mutation in evolutionary games of the finitely repeated prisoner's dilemma in infinite asexual populations. First, we show how cooperation can evolve through the direct effect of mutation, i.e., the fitness impact that individuals experience from interactions with mutants before selection acts upon these mutants. Whereas this direct effect suffices to explain earlier findings, we question its generality because mutational variation usually generates the highest direct fitness impact on unconditional defectors (\textit{AllD}). We identify special conditions (e.g., intermediate mutation rates) for which cooperation can be favored by an indirect effect of mutation, i.e., the fitness impact that individuals experience from interactions with descendants of mutants. Simulations confirm that \textit{AllD}-dominated populations can be invaded by cooperative strategies despite the positive direct effect of mutation on \textit{AllD}. Thus, here the indirect effect of mutation drives the evolution of cooperation. The higher level of cooperation, however, is not achieved by individuals triggering reciprocity (`genuine cooperation'), but by individuals exploiting the willingness of others to cooperate (`exploitative cooperation'). Our distinction between direct and indirect effects of mutation provides a new perspective on how mutation-generated variation alters frequency-dependent selection.
- How mutation affects evolutionary games on graphs
- Punishment does not promote cooperation under exploration dynamics when anti-social punishment is possible
- Cooperation driven by mutations in multi-person prisoner's dilemma
- The evolvability of cooperation under local and non-local mutations
- Mutation in evolutionary games can increase average fitness at equilibrium
- Are people conditionally cooperative? Evidence from a public goods experiment
- Cooperation driven by mutations in multi-person prisoner's dilemma
- Direct reciprocity in structured populations
- Evolutionary game theory: a renaissance
- Evolutionary stability in the finitely repeated prisoner's dilemma game
- Exploration dynamics in evolutionary games
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1907684 (Why is no real title available?)
- Mutation in evolutionary games can increase average fitness at equilibrium
- Robustness against indirect invasions
- Shared intentions: the evolution of collaboration
- The evolution of cooperation
This page was built for publication: When and how does mutation-generated variation promote the evolution of cooperation?
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2183970)
