Interconnected cells forming a network in space, symbolizing cooperation and shared resources.

Strength in Numbers: How Cooperation Gives an Evolutionary Edge

Avery Sinclair in Science & Nature June 2025 • 4 min read.

"Dive into the surprising science of how pooling resources can boost long-term growth and success, even in competitive environments."

In the relentless competition of the natural world, cooperation might seem like a disadvantage. Why share resources when every drop counts toward individual survival? Yet, cooperation is everywhere – from the microscopic interactions within cells to the complex societies of animals and humans. This begs the question: how can cooperation, an act that seems inherently altruistic, thrive in the cutthroat arena of evolution?

Traditional explanations often focus on direct reciprocal benefits or shared genetic interests. However, a groundbreaking study offers a new perspective: the very act of pooling and sharing resources can create a more stable growth environment, providing cooperators with a long-term advantage that outstrips individualistic strategies. This insight challenges conventional wisdom and highlights the hidden power of collaboration.

Imagine a group of early cells, each facing unpredictable fluctuations in their environment. Some thrive, others struggle. Now, envision these cells cooperating, sharing their resources to buffer against the highs and lows. By reducing the drastic swings in resource availability, these cooperative cells achieve a steadier, more reliable growth trajectory, ultimately outpacing their solitary counterparts.

The Fluctuations Factor: How Noise Impacts Growth

Interconnected cells forming a network in space, symbolizing cooperation and shared resources.

Evolutionary processes are not smooth and predictable; they're often noisy and multiplicative. Think of biomass accumulating – cells gathering nutrients, splitting, and multiplying. But this process isn't constant. Environmental factors, resource availability, and chance events can cause significant fluctuations in growth rate.

These fluctuations have a crucial impact on long-term success. While they might not affect the average expectation of growth, they can significantly reduce the time-average growth rate – the rate that truly determines who thrives over extended periods. This is a concept known as non-ergodicity. High volatility makes it difficult for a cell to accumulate the resources it needs to grow because the cell is wasting energy and resources trying to survive sudden environment or resource changes.

Multiplicative Growth: Growth compounds over time, but negative fluctuations can disproportionately hinder overall progress.
Non-Ergodicity: Average expectations differ from the typical experience over time, meaning that the impact of environmental 'noise' (or volatility) impacts the long term success of the cell or group of cells.
Time-Average vs. Ensemble-Average Growth Rate: There are benefits to growing alone and within a group. Understanding the difference between time-average vs ensemble-average growth rate help a cell to decide to cooperate or grow alone, helping the overall species succeed.

This distinction is critical because evolution favors strategies that maximize time-average growth. Imagine two populations: one experiencing wild swings in fortune, the other enjoying steady, consistent growth. Over time, the stable population will inevitably overtake the volatile one, even if the latter occasionally enjoys periods of explosive growth.

The Universal Language of Cooperation

The findings underscore the profound importance of risk management in evolutionary success. By minimizing fluctuations and ensuring a more stable growth trajectory, cooperation emerges not as an act of altruism, but as a powerful strategy for long-term survival and dominance. This offers a compelling explanation for why cooperation is so pervasive in nature, from the simplest cells to the most complex societies. The model helps clarify that our natural human inclination towards cooperating with one another, is rooted in simple math, and a good sentiment to practice.

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Everything You Need To Know

Why does cooperation occur in nature, even though it seems like individuals would be more successful if they didn't share resources?

Cooperation appears paradoxical because traditional views emphasize individual competition. However, the act of pooling resources creates a more stable environment, which gives cooperators a long-term advantage. By reducing the impact of environmental fluctuations, cooperation ensures more reliable growth compared to individualistic strategies that are vulnerable to resource scarcity or environmental changes. Cooperation is less about altruism and more about a strategy for long-term survival.

How do environmental fluctuations affect the growth and success of organisms?

Environmental fluctuations, or 'noise,' have a significant impact on long-term success because evolutionary processes are multiplicative, meaning growth compounds over time. Negative fluctuations can disproportionately hinder overall progress. This is tied to the concept of non-ergodicity, where average expectations differ from the typical experience over time. Volatility can reduce the time-average growth rate, the rate that truly determines long-term success. Organisms in highly volatile environments waste energy trying to survive sudden changes, rather than accumulating resources for growth.

What is the difference between 'time-average' and 'ensemble-average' growth rate, and why is this distinction important in evolution?

The 'ensemble-average' growth rate refers to the average growth rate across a population at a single point in time. The 'time-average' growth rate, however, represents the average growth rate of a single individual or group over an extended period. Evolution favors strategies that maximize time-average growth because it reflects long-term success. A population with steady, consistent growth (high time-average) will outperform a population with wild swings in fortune (potentially high ensemble-average, but lower time-average) over extended periods.

Can you explain how 'multiplicative growth' and 'non-ergodicity' relate to the advantages of cooperation?

Multiplicative growth means that growth compounds over time; each period's growth builds on the previous one. Non-ergodicity means that the average experience over time differs from the average expectation at a single point. When growth is multiplicative, negative fluctuations can disproportionately impact overall progress. Cooperation helps mitigate these negative fluctuations by pooling resources, leading to a more stable growth trajectory. This stability is crucial because, in a non-ergodic environment, consistent growth is more beneficial than sporadic bursts followed by declines.

In what ways does understanding the evolutionary advantages of cooperation challenge traditional views of competition and altruism?

Traditionally, competition is viewed as the primary driving force in evolution, with altruism seen as an exception, often explained by direct reciprocal benefits or shared genetic interests. However, the benefits of reducing fluctuations and ensuring stable growth show that cooperation is also a powerful survival strategy. Minimizing fluctuations leads to long-term survival and dominance. This perspective reframes cooperation not as purely altruistic, but as a practical strategy for long-term success, explaining its prevalence across different levels of biological organization. Cooperation is rooted in simple math and a good sentiment to practice.