Theory 43/Cooperation vs Competition/Microbes
Public Goods Invite Cheats
The claim
Microbial cooperation in producing shared enzymes trades against invasion by non-producers, so the more valuable the public good, the stronger the selection for cheating.
01Mechanism
The benefit is shared while the cost is private; as benefit rises, non-producers gain more, and the cooperative strategy is destabilised.
02Prediction
Cheats should spread fastest where cooperation is most productive.
03Refutation
Cheating independent of benefit would remove the trade-off.