Evol Ecol Res 2: 761-767 (2000) Full PDF if your library subscribes.
Assortative interactions and the evolution of cooperation during predator inspection in guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
Lee A. Dugatkin1
and David Sloan Wilson2 1Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 and 2Department of Biology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
e-mail: lee.dugatkin@louisville.eduABSTRACT
One possible mechanism for the evolution of cooperation/altruism is assortative interactions, in which cooperators interact with each other by choice and cheaters are forced to interact with each other by default. This mechanism has been regarded as implausible in the past, but more recent models have revealed its likelihood when cooperative behaviour is a quantitative trait that can be observed directly by members of the population. Assortative interactions are likely to occur in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) because they cooperate in the context of predator inspection, their inspection behaviour is a quantitative trait, and they are known to monitor each other’s behaviour and choose to associate with fish that inspect. Despite these preconditions, our experiments failed to demonstrate assortative interactions in free-swimming guppies. We offer our negative evidence as an incentive for others to look for what remains a theoretically plausible mechanism for the evolution of cooperation/altruism.
Keywords: altruism, cooperation, predator inspection.
DOWNLOAD A FREE, FULL PDF COPY
IF you are connected using the IP of a subscribing institution (library, laboratory, etc.)
or through its VPN.
© 2000 Lee A. Dugatkin. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.
Subscribing institutions/libraries may grant individuals the privilege of making a single copy of an EER article for non-commercial educational or non-commercial research purposes. Subscribing institutions/libraries may also use articles for non-commercial educational purposes by making any number of copies for course packs or course reserve collections. Subscribing institutions/libraries may also loan single copies of articles to non-commercial libraries for educational purposes.
All copies of abstracts and articles must preserve their copyright notice without modification.