title: Evolution of cooperative cross-feeding could be less challenging than originally thought.
abstract: The act of cross-feeding whereby unrelated species exchange nutrients is a common feature of microbial interactions and could be considered a form of reciprocal altruism or reciprocal cooperation. Past theoretical work suggests that the evolution of cooperative cross-feeding in nature may be more challenging than for other types of cooperation. Here we re-evaluate a mathematical model used previously to study persistence of cross-feeding and conclude that the maintenance of cross-feeding interactions could be favoured for a larger parameter ranges than formerly observed. Strikingly, we also find that large populations of cross-feeders are not necessarily vulnerable to extinction from an initially small number of cheats who receive the benefit of cross-feeding but do not reciprocate in this cooperative interaction. This could explain the widespread cooperative cross-feeding observed in natural populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Estrela
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gudelj
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000533:Altruism; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008827:Microbiological Phenomena; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000502:physiology