Multistability in Microbial Communities Explained by the Stable Marriage Problem

This lecture explores how the stable marriage problem in mathematics can explain multistability in microbial communities. Presented by Akshit Goyal at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences as part of the "Decisions, Games, and Evolution" program, the 42-minute talk connects game theory concepts to ecological dynamics. Learn how mathematical frameworks help understand cooperation and decision-making processes in microbial societies, which are genetically hardwired rather than cognitively determined. The presentation is part of a broader interdisciplinary program bringing together biologists, cognitive scientists, economists, and physicists to explore evolutionary game theory and its applications across biological scales from cells to societies. Discover the organizing principles behind cooperation in biological communities and how individual behaviors shape population-level outcomes in microbial ecosystems.