首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
   检索      


Selective pressures for accurate altruism targeting: evidence from digital evolution for difficult-to-test aspects of inclusive fitness theory
Authors:Jeff Clune  Heather J Goldsby  Charles Ofria  Robert T Pennock
Institution:1.Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;2.Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;3.Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;4.Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;5.The BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action,, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Abstract:Inclusive fitness theory predicts that natural selection will favour altruist genes that are more accurate in targeting altruism only to copies of themselves. In this paper, we provide evidence from digital evolution in support of this prediction by competing multiple altruist-targeting mechanisms that vary in their accuracy in determining whether a potential target for altruism carries a copy of the altruist gene. We compete altruism-targeting mechanisms based on (i) kinship (kin targeting), (ii) genetic similarity at a level greater than that expected of kin (similarity targeting), and (iii) perfect knowledge of the presence of an altruist gene (green beard targeting). Natural selection always favoured the most accurate targeting mechanism available. Our investigations also revealed that evolution did not increase the altruism level when all green beard altruists used the same phenotypic marker. The green beard altruism levels stably increased only when mutations that changed the altruism level also changed the marker (e.g. beard colour), such that beard colour reliably indicated the altruism level. For kin- and similarity-targeting mechanisms, we found that evolution was able to stably adjust altruism levels. Our results confirm that natural selection favours altruist genes that are increasingly accurate in targeting altruism to only their copies. Our work also emphasizes that the concept of targeting accuracy must include both the presence of an altruist gene and the level of altruism it produces.
Keywords:kin selection  inclusive fitness  altruism  green beard  digital evolution  Avida
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号