Evolution, Ecology and Behavior with Stephen C. Stearns - 33. Evolutionary Game Theory: Fighting and Contests

Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior (EEB 122) The economic concept of game theory can be readily applied to evolution and behavior. By analyzing encounters between organisms as a mathematical "game," important information such as fitness payoffs and the proportions of "strategies" played by each group within a population can be inferred. While oftentimes these games are too simplified to apply directly to actual examples in nature, they are still useful models that help convey important concepts. 00:00 - Chapter 1. Introduction 03:58 - Chapter 2. Background to Game Theory 09:49 - Chapter 3. The Hawk-Dove Game 21:43 - Chapter 4. The Prisoner's Dilemma 29:18 - Chapter 5. Contextual Biological Examples 40:48 - Chapter 6. Conclusion Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses This course was recorded in Spring 2009.