title: Altruistic aging: The evolutionary dynamics balancing longevity and evolvability.
abstract: Altruism is typically associated with traits or behaviors that benefit the population as a whole, but are costly to the individual. We propose that, when the environment is rapidly changing, senescence (age-related deterioration) can be altruistic. According to numerical simulations of an agent-based model, while long-lived individuals can outcompete their short lived peers, populations composed of long-lived individuals are more likely to go extinct during periods of rapid environmental change. Moreover, as in many situations where other cooperative behavior arises, senescence can be stabilized in a structured population.
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ 85306-4908, United States. email: Minette.Herrera@asu.edu.
authors.forename: Minette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000533:Altruism; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008954:Models, Biological