Presentation Details
| Agent-based simulations reveal the probability of mortality under four natural selection environments Deby Cassill. University of South Florida, St.Petersburg, FL, USA |
Abstract
Agent-based simulations tested four combinations of two drivers of offspring mortality: predation and starvation. In support of the genetic drift hypothesis, weak selected environments favored longevity among solitary individuals. In support of the selfish herd hypothesis, high predation environments favored the formation of non-kin groups. In support of a family-systems hypothesis, starvation selected environments during seasonal gaps in resources favored the fusion of parent and offspring into family units. In support of Aristotle’s mutual dependency hypothesis, we show that a combination of high predation and starvation environments favored the fusion of family units into societies of cooperative hierarchies. Those at the top shared increments of abundant resources with those at the margins, to keep them alive during extended gaps in resources. By sharing, those at top were buffered from predators or invaders by those at the margins. In summary, their mutual dependency revealed that cooperative societies do not evolve for the good of the group or the species. Rather, cooperative societies evolve for the good of the individuals therein.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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