Cooperation in animals: from theory to data and back

The empirical literature on mutual helping for direct fitness (often termed cooperation within species and mutualism between species) has long been dominated by the aim to test model predictions from rather stylised games, such as the iterated prisoner's dilemma. However, more empirically informed models exist, offering the opportunity to test key assumptions and predictions, where results may feed back into the development of new models. I will give examples from our own research on marine cleaning mutualism and on vervet monkeys.