Strategy evolution on dynamic networksModels of strategy evolution on static networks help us understand how
population structure can promote the spread of traits like cooperation. One key
mechanism is the formation of altruistic spatial clusters, where neighbors of a
cooperative individual are likely to reciprocate, which protects prosocial
traits from exploitation. But most real-world interactions are ephemeral and
subject to exogenous restructuring, so that social networks change over time.
Strategic behavior on dynamic networks is difficult to study, and much less is
known about the resulting evolutionary dynamics. Here, we provide an analytical
treatment of cooperation on dynamic networks, allowing for arbitrary spatial
and temporal heterogeneity. We show that transitions among a large class of
network structures can favor the spread of cooperation, even if each individual
social network would inhibit cooperation when static. Furthermore, we show that
spatial heterogeneity tends to inhibit cooperation, whereas temporal
heterogeneity tends to promote it. Dynamic networks can have profound effects
on the evolution of prosocial traits, even when individuals have no agency over
network structures.
arxiv.org