Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2009
Abstract
We use the standardized variance (nu_{st}) of the degree distribution of a random network as an analytic measure of its heterogeneity. We show that nu_{st} accurately predicts, quantitatively, the success of cooperators in an evolutionary prisoner's dilemma. Moreover, we show how the generating functional expression for nu_{st} suggests an intrinsic interpretation for the heterogeneity of the network that helps explain local mechanisms through which cooperators thrive in heterogeneous populations. Finally, we give a simple relationship between nu_{st} , the cooperation level, and the epidemic threshold of a random network that reveals an appealing connection between epidemic disease models and the evolutionary prisoner's dilemma.
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevE.79.016107
Recommended Citation
Devlin, S., & Treloar, T. (2009). Evolution of cooperation through the heterogeneity of random networks. Phys. Rev. E 79, 16-107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.79.016107
Comments
©2009 The American Physical Society
Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.79.016107