Ecological factors in social evolution - AfS, WCUB ENWW

It is true that evolution does not seek to maximise complexity but it also appears evident to us as humans that complexity has arisen over time. This accruement of complexity by the process of evolution by natural selection has been attributed to major transitions by Maynard Smith and Eörs Száthmary19. Major transitions occur when individual replicators combine to form a new more complex replicator. This, stated in its general sense, encompasses very diverse phenomena: the transitions from genes to genome, the evolution of multicellular life and the the formation of eusocial communities. Two steps to a transition have been identified: a cooperative group forms and then becomes a more cohesive whole through the division of labour23. Inclusive fitness theory is the paradigm currently used to describe the evolution of cooperation among individuals. Classical approaches to modelling social behaviours assume ecological and evolutionary time-scales are separate and do not interact significantly6. However recent discourse and models have shown significant interactions between evolution and ecology14,17,18. This project aims to create a better theoretical understanding of the effect of ecological interactions on social evolution and the onset of a major transition.

BBSRC Priority Areas
The research undertaking will provide underlying theory for extending our understanding of the formation and maintenance of cooperative groups. This feeds in to BBSRC priority areas for understanding microbial communities and their growth. This also affects food security as many fungi and bacteria both beneficial and maleficial form cooperative groups.