The Silent Cooperator: An Epigenetic Model for Emergence of Altruistic Traits in Biological Systems

<table class="figure-group"><tr class="fig-image" id="a"><td><object data="https://static.hindawi.com/articles/complexity/volume-2018/2082037/figures/2082037.fig.0016a.svgz" name="2082037.fig.0016a" type="image/svg+xml"></object></td></tr><tr class="fig-caption"><td><b>(a) </b>Start of simulation</td></tr><tr class="fig-image" id="b"><td><object data="https://static.hindawi.com/articles/complexity/volume-2018/2082037/figures/2082037.fig.0016b.svgz" name="2082037.fig.0016b" type="image/svg+xml"></object></td></tr><tr class="fig-caption"><td><b>(b) </b>After 500 generations</td></tr><tr class="fig-image" id="c"><td><object data="https://static.hindawi.com/articles/complexity/volume-2018/2082037/figures/2082037.fig.0016c.svgz" name="2082037.fig.0016c" type="image/svg+xml"></object></td></tr><tr class="fig-caption"><td><b>(c) </b>After 4500 generations</td></tr><tr class="fig-image" id="d"><td><object data="https://static.hindawi.com/articles/complexity/volume-2018/2082037/figures/2082037.fig.0016d.svgz" name="2082037.fig.0016d" type="image/svg+xml"></object></td></tr><tr class="fig-caption"><td><b>(d) </b>End of simulation</td></tr></table>

<div>Illustration of a system where mutations of silent cooperator genes (<svg height="9.01194pt" id="M159" style="vertical-align:-0.2455397pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.7664 29.481 9.01194" width="29.481pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M620 650H399V622C477 614 480 606 457 556C429 495 375 397 338 331C295 406 246 488 203 568C185 601 182 613 254 622V650H15V622C75 617 86 606 126 537C180 445 217 379 252 318C269 287 273 278 273 258V125C273 40 265 34 176 28V0H458V28C366 34 358 41 358 125V261C358 287 361 298 375 324C422 412 456 470 501 543C539 604 551 614 620 622V650Z" id="g121-87"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.874,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z" id="g117-34"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,23.137,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z" id="g121-81"></path></g></svg>) occur in a <svg height="8.69875pt" id="M160" style="vertical-align:-0.3499298pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 38.6238 8.69875" width="38.6238pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z" id="g113-54"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,6.24,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z" id="g113-49"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,15.386,0)"><path d="M528 54L331 254L528 455L492 493L294 291L96 493L60 455L257 254L60 54L96 16L294 217L492 16L528 54Z" id="g117-42"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,25.922,0)"><path d="M153 550H386L412 615L406 623H120L82 318C104 327 142 338 184 338C294 338 347 275 347 187C347 112 305 39 221 39C160 39 119 71 97 89C88 97 80 96 71 90C59 80 50 67 49 57C48 45 52 36 66 23C80 9 123 -12 169 -12C221 -11 288 15 342 59C403 109 431 165 431 225C431 308 366 395 238 395C212 395 165 379 127 364L153 550Z" id="g113-54"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,32.162,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z" id="g113-49"></path></g></svg> system dominated by defector genes (<svg height="8.43779pt" id="M161" style="vertical-align:-0.04980946pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.38798 32.8867 8.43779" width="32.8867pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M620 650H399V622C477 614 480 606 457 556C429 495 375 397 338 331C295 406 246 488 203 568C185 601 182 613 254 622V650H15V622C75 617 86 606 126 537C180 445 217 379 252 318C269 287 273 278 273 258V125C273 40 265 34 176 28V0H458V28C366 34 358 41 358 125V261C358 287 361 298 375 324C422 412 456 470 501 543C539 604 551 614 620 622V650Z" id="g121-87"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.874,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z" id="g117-34"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,23.137,0)"><path d="M43 650V622C120 616 128 612 128 526V124C128 39 120 33 34 27V0H270C392 0 492 25 567 83C643 141 690 230 690 350C690 444 655 517 605 565C543 625 450 650 323 650H43ZM213 547C213 587 217 598 226 604C236 612 262 617 304 617C371 617 429 604 474 576C554 529 592 439 592 336C592 176 505 36 319 36C246 36 213 55 213 131V547Z" id="g121-66"></path></g></svg>). Silent genes get activated later at a random point of time <svg height="11.6425pt" id="M162" style="vertical-align:-0.2063999pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -11.4361 8.34479 11.6425" width="8.34479pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M324 430H196L233 583L223 592L145 529L120 430H54L29 396L31 388H111L56 126C33 15 54 -12 77 -12C137 -12 214 57 250 95L233 119C208 92 155 59 138 59C126 59 120 70 131 125L186 390L298 394L324 430Z" id="g113-117"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.0091,0,0,-0.0091,4.433,-5.741)"><path d="M310 541L304 571C290 586 211 619 185 610L80 76L131 52L310 541Z" id="g50-31"></path></g></svg> to express the cooperative trait.</div>

Complexity

fig16

Figure 16

Figure 16: The Silent Cooperator: An Epigenetic Model for Emergence of Altruistic Traits in Biological Systems 