I'm theoretically amazed that multicellular organisms could overcome all of the prisoners' dilemma type situations they must face.
You mean competition between cells in a multi-cellular organism? They don't compete, they come from the same DNA and they "win" by perpetuating that DNA, not their own self. Your cells are not subject to evolution -- you are, as a whole.
shouldn't competition among microorganisms cause us to get nothing?
In the long term, no, because a symbiotic system (as a whole) outcompetes greedy microorganisms and it's surviving that matters, not short-term gains. If you depend on your host and you kill your host, you die yourself.
In the long term, no, because a symbiotic system (as a whole) outcompetes greedy microorganisms and it's surviving that matters, not short-term gains.
OK, but I have lots of different types of bacteria in me. If one type of bacteria doubled the amount of energy it consumed, and this slightly reduced my reproductive fitness, then this type of bacteria would be better off. If all types of bacteria in me do this, however, I die. It's analogous to how no one company would pollute so much so as to poison the atmosphere and kill everyone, but absent regulation the combined effect of all companies would be to do (or almost do) this.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
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