The effects of tags on the evolution of honest signaling

Abstract

In the study described here we examine the importance of social tags in the emergence and maintenance of signaling, using the Sir Philip Sydney Game. We use tags in the calculation of inclusive fitness for members in a finite population, and analyze their evolution under different population distributions. We support the claim that inclusive fitness theory may not be sufficient to explain the evolution of cooperation. While cooperativity through honest signaling is sometimes achieved with tag-based relatedness, we suggest that the importance of tag-based mechanisms may not simply be due to their role in kin selection.