Cooperation Flashcards
cooperation
act of assistance or working together, the most complex form of social interaction
why is evolution of cooperation challenging?
costly
dangerous
better to hang back
defection/cheating can invade
what would natural selection predict would occur if an individual cheats
they have higher fitness than cooperators, and over time the abundance of cooperators would decrease
cooperative breeders
social system where theres a dominant breeding pair and subordinate helpers. the helpers provide allocare for offspring of breeders
mutualism
both benefit
selfishness
actor benefits, cost to recipient
altruism
recipient benefits, cost to donor
spite
both suffer costs
mutualism evolutionary rationale
immediate direct fitness for both
kin selection evolution rationale
indirect fitness benefits
kin selection
evolutionary strat or behaviour that favours the survival and reproduction of relatives
cooperation makes sense if
cooperators are related
rb>c, or r>c/b
black tail prairie dog calling
alarm call when around kin.
meerkat guarding
one individual stands guard while others forage, but this individual is closer to shelter than foragers
direct benefits from cooperation
reciprocity
increased survival (better group, pay to stay)
increased reproduction (parenting experience, social prestige, territory/mate inheritance)
reciprocity
aka. reciprocal altruism
help is repaid by recipient
direct reciprocity
cooperators live in group where reciprocation is common
relies on:
1. repeated encounters with individuals
2. both individuals are able to help
3. help is less costly for donor than it is beneficial for recipient
reciprocity in vampire bats
regurgitated food sharing. if one night you have no meal, then you can count on being helped if you also share with others.
all conditions of direct reciprocity fulfilled
pay to stay
increased survival on territories where contribution is necessary to remain there. if individual doesn’t contribute they’ll be chased out of territory
songbird parental experience
1 nestling with 3 adults caring, and young birds didn’t reproduce until 3 years old.
birds with helping experience and no experience were relocated and those with no experience were terrible, those with experience did very well.
pied kingfisher
primary helpers deliver as much food to young as parents do, secondary not so much.
primary helpers tend to be related and have higher fitness in year one. secondary helpers have higher fitness in year 2 and half of them breed with female they helped
cooperation makes sense if
cooperators are related
cooperators live in small groups where reciprocation is common
bilateral long term interactions
