E-mail:
Lab web site: https://sites.google.com/site/sokendaisasaki/
Personal web site: http://bio-math10.biology.kyushu-u.ac.jp/~ohtsuki/index_e.html
When starved, cells of slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum, aggregate and die to form stalks in order for others to disperse to a better location. In most eusocial insects such as bees and ants, queens dominate reproduction whereas workers are specialized in various labors in the colony. Reciprocal cooperation forms a basis of human society. Cooperation is ubiquitous in biology, yet its evolutionary origin is paradoxical because one can expect the emergence of “social parasites” which do not pay the cost but enjoy the benefit of cooperation. One of my main goals is to theoretically unveil the origin of cooperation. My research topics include: kin recognition in microorganisms, dynamic optimization in ant colonies, generalization of inclusive fitness theory, interplay between population structure and evolutionary dynamics, indirect reciprocity in humans, evolution of punishment and reward, resource allocation and coalition formation in primates, and evolution of linear dominance. I also work on modeling of animal behavior, ecological dynamics, social networks, chemical evolution, and cancer progression. I am interested in mathematical properties of evolutionary game theory, too. My laboratory always welcomes students who can actively tackle new research questions with great enthusiasm.