Demographic senescence as multi-level selection in miniature
Updated
Updated · arxiv.org · Jul 1
Demographic senescence as multi-level selection in miniature
1 articles · Updated · arxiv.org · Jul 1
Summary
Researchers have demonstrated that demographic senescence can be mathematically described as a form of multi-level selection within biological systems.
A new stochastic model shows that damage accumulation in ageing organisms mirrors group selection dynamics, with intra-organismal failures akin to defectors in populations.
This formal connection may allow insights from evolutionary cooperation theory to inform understanding of ageing and mortality patterns in complex organisms.