E. Akcay

Pathways to cultural adaptation: the coevolution of cumulative culture and social networks

This paper shows that cultural adaptation and social network structure coevolve through two pathways: high connectivity with low diversity or low connectivity with high diversity, driven by trade-offs between group and individual benefits.

Host control and species interactions jointly determine microbiome community structure

The paper develops a mathematical framework to study how host immune response and microbial community interactions shape microbiome assembly and stability.

A Synthesis of Game Theory and Quantitative Genetic Models of Social Evolution

This paper integrates evolutionary game theory and quantitative genetics to model social evolution, showing how game theory can be translated into selection gradients and how indirect genetic effects can predict reciprocity evolution.

Host phenology can drive the evolution of intermediate virulence strategies in some obligate-killer parasites

This paper develops a mathematical model showing that host phenology can drive the evolution of intermediate virulence in obligate-killer parasites without assuming traditional transmission-virulence trade-offs.

The role of host phenology for parasite transmission

This study uses a mathematical model to show how tick phenology affects B. burgdorferi transmission, finding that timing of nymphal and larval activity influences parasite fitness and potential eradication.

Optimal coordination and reorganization of photosynthetic properties in C4 grasses

The paper examines how C4 grasses optimize and reorganize photosynthetic properties through optimality modeling, physiological measurements, and phylogenetic analysis, finding higher Jmax/Vcmax ratios and ongoing optimization processes.

The legacy of C4 evolution in the hydraulics of C3 and C4 grasses

This study examines how C4 photosynthesis evolution affects hydraulic traits in grasses, finding that younger C4 lineages have higher hydraulic conductance and capacitance, while older lineages show reduced values.

Evolution of symbiont transmission in conditional mutualisms in spatially and temporally variable environments

This study models the evolution of symbiont transmission modes in conditional mutualisms under environmental variation, finding that horizontal transmission can contain symbionts in beneficial environments while vertical transmission can do so when environmental states are synchronized.

Rank-dependent social inheritance determines social network structure in a wild mammal population

The paper shows that social inheritance, based on maternal rank, shapes offspring relationships in wild spotted hyenas over six years, affecting their longevity.

Evolution of contribution timing in public goods games

The paper explores how the timing of contributions in public goods games evolves, showing that rapid or delayed contributions can be advantageous depending on group dynamics and cheating behaviors.

The balance of interaction types determines the assembly and stability of ecological communities

This study shows that the balance of interaction types in ecological communities determines their stability and diversity, with mutualisms affecting external stability and species persistence.

Internalizing cooperative norms in group-structured populations

The paper models how intrinsic motivations to follow cooperative norms can evolve with and without external punishment, showing that internal punishment functions affect the stability of cooperation.

Evolutionary games with environmental feedbacks

This paper develops a framework for eco-evolutionary game theory to study strategic and environmental dynamics with feedbacks in various systems.

Cultural Selection Shapes Network Structure

The paper shows cultural selection for generalists or specialists shapes social network structure through eco-evolutionary feedbacks in a population.

The blind choreographer: evolution of social norms and correlated equilibria

The paper presents a model of social norm evolution that links individual beliefs to population dynamics, showing how norms emerge from environmental correlations and affect coordination in games.

Evolution of transmission mode in conditional mutualisms with spatial variation in symbiont quality

The paper models how spatially conditional mutualisms influence host transmission strategies, finding that symbiont effects on lifespan drive host evolution of horizontal transmission.

Collapse and rescue of cooperation in evolving dynamic networks

This study examines how cooperation and social structure coevolve in dynamic networks, showing cooperation can collapse when random connections increase, but can be sustained with social inheritance.

Competition and niche construction in a model of cancer metastasis

This paper presents a mathematical model showing that interclonal competition and niche construction specificity influence metastasis, with cheater cells hindering metastasis despite arising from early mutants.

Learning to cooperate: The evolution of social rewards in repeated interactions

This study develops a mathematical model to explore how evolved prosocial rewards influence cooperation in repeated social interactions, finding conditionally cooperative rewards are evolutionarily stable.

The genealogical decomposition of a matrix population model with applications to the aggregation of stages

This paper decomposes matrix population models into a triple of components and introduces a method to aggregate stages while preserving key demographic properties.

C4 photosynthesis and climate through the lens of optimality

This paper models the evolutionary drivers of C4 photosynthesis by optimizing photosynthesis and hydraulics, showing water limitation initially drove C4 evolution, while low CO2 and light intensity later facilitated its global spread.