Modeling the Role of Cooperation in Response to Adverse Environmental Conditions in the Inner Asian Mountain Corridor
Authors
María Coto-Sarmiento1, Abay Namen2, Aris Varis3 and Radu Iovita4
1 School of Culture and Society - Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet), Aarhus University.
2 Department of Sociology and Anthropology, School of Science and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
3 Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
4 Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, USA.
Abstract
The dispersal of modern humans during the last glacial cycle was an impressive feat of adaptation that remains partly unexplained in evolutionary history. In particular, Central Asia, with its cold and arid climates and harsh environments, all of which were exacerbated by Pleistocene climatic oscillations presents an ideal laboratory for testing hypotheses about the role of human behaviour in dispersal under adverse conditions. However, sparse archaeological data in Central Asia make reconstructing dispersal routes and chronology challenging. In such cases, computational models offer a powerful baseline for simulating behavioral scenarios in the past.
In this work, we analyze the impact of behavioral adaptations on human dispersal in Central Asia during the Pleistocene, focusing on the region of Kazakhstan. To do so, we propose PaleoCOOP, an evolutionary theoretical Agent-Based Model to explore the effects of cooperation on dispersal under different climate constraints in two study sub-regions, the Altai and Tian Shan Mountains.
PaleoCOOP simulates an environment where human mobility dynamics in Central Asia are being represented. The model creates an environment where groups of humans move searching for resources while facing challenging climate conditions. The model explores the connections between behavioral adaptations, environmental constraints, and resource competition.
The model uses and adapts an evolutionary model proposed by Henrich and Boyd to test cooperation dilemmas (Henrich and Boyd, 2001). According to the authors, cooperation can be maintained without a high punishment rate when the population adopts common behavior. We build a theoretical model where cooperation can be essential in periods of extreme climate seasonality caused by climate change. The idea here is to present a framework to explore the dynamics of cooperative behavior when uncertainty is high. For instance, the human decision may overcome dilemmas, such as requiring individuals to balance individual gains with the preservation of the group and the collective resources and make crucial collaborative decisions necessary for the survival of the groups.
The impact of cooperation is tested using four theoretical climate scenarios, each representing temperatures during the Glacial and Interglacial periods (extreme and non-extreme periods) in Tien Shan and Altai. The scenarios are used as a theoretical environment to analyze and compare the adaptative strategies in human cooperation taken by individuals. By exploring four theoretical scenarios, we can observe a) different strategies that contribute to individuals adopting cooperation or non-cooperation, and b) how extreme climate conditions can affect human cooperation.
Our results suggest that a) the initial probability of cooperation in a group can play a significant role in shaping group behavior, b) climate change can impact the adoption of a cooperation strategy, and c) the probability of survival is higher when groups adopt a cooperative behavior.
Our results highlight the importance of cooperation in human dispersal in Central Asia, contributing to our understanding of human evolution. The methodology and results of this study can also contribute to a diverse audience interested in understanding the complexities of human evolution, as well as to demonstrate the potential of cultural evolution approaches and computational archaeology to analyze the human past.
Keywords: Pleistocene - Central Asia - behavioral adaptations - evolutionary model- cooperation - Agent-Based Model
References
Henrich, J., & Boyd, R. (2001). Why people punish defectors: Weak conformist transmission can stabilize costly enforcement of norms in cooperative dilemmas. Journal of theoretical biology, 208(1), 79-89.