SOLVING THE COMPLEMENTARITY DILEMMA - EVOLVING STRATEGIES FOR SIMULTANEOUS HERMAPHRODITISM

We introduce the complementarity dilemma, a two-player, binary respons e game in which the payoffs are highest when the two players respond d ifferently. Using the classifier system EvA, we determine the evolutio nary dynamics and structure of strategies that evolve to play an itera ted version of this game, and we relate the results to the evolution o f major types of sexual reproduction, particularly simultaneous hermap hroditism. We find that complementarity strategies consistently evolve under a broad range of conditions, but that those most consistent wit h simultaneous hermaphroditism can predominate only when a substantial cost of repeatedly adopting the female role is imposed. The cost is a nalogous to the fecundity reduction to be expected when a single partn er must repeatedly produce the eggs in sexual reproduction. (C) 1998 A cademic Press.