Biology 1001A Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Reciprocal Altruism, Eusociality, Inclusive Fitness
25 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Whether a particular social behaviour represents cooperation, competition, spite or altruism. Social interaction is classified based on recipient fitness and actor fitness. The recipient is the one receiving the behaviour, the actor is the one behaving. Selection acts depending on if the fitness of the actor increases or decreases. Why altruistic and spiteful behaviours are both difficult to reconcile with natural selection. Cooperation and selfishness are easy to reconcile w natural selection because the individual benefits. On the other hand, altruism and spite are difficult to reconcile. Spite almost is non-existent in the animal species because it reduces the fitness of everyone involved and selection is not favoured. Altruism (not considering parental care); individuals may provide warning calls/ protection for non-offspring (eg. meerkats, ground squirrels); benefits fitness of recipient, but puts the individual actor at risk. This (cid:373)ea(cid:374)s sa(cid:272)rifi(cid:272)i(cid:374)g individual fitness for the good of the group.
