Non-vertical cultural transmission, assortment and the evolution of cooperation

Cultural evolution of cooperation under vertical and non-vertical cultural transmission is studied, and conditions are found for fixation and coexistence of cooperation and defection. The evolution of cooperation is facilitated by its horizontal transmission and by an association between social interactions and horizontal transmission. The effect of oblique transmission depends on the horizontal transmission bias. Stable polymorphism of cooperation and defection can occur, and when it does, reduced association between social interactions and horizontal transmission evolves, which leads to a decreased frequency of cooperation and lower population mean fitness. The deterministic conditions are compared to outcomes of stochastic simulations of structured populations. Parallels are drawn with Hamilton's rule incorporating relatedness and assortment.

Automated summary

The study examines the cultural evolution of cooperation under vertical and non-vertical cultural transmission, finding conditions for fixation and coexistence of cooperation and defection. Cooperation evolution is facilitated by horizontal transmission and an association between social interactions and horizontal transmission. When stable polymorphism occurs, reduced association between social interactions and horizontal transmission leads to lower cooperation frequency and population mean fitness.