Altruism Flashcards
Altruism
taking a fitness cost that increase fitness benefit
Forms of kindness
- shared gene : increase reproductive success of other individuals carrying your similar alleles
- reciprocity : help others who will return the favor later
Direct fitness
increase number of offspring I produce
Indirect fitness
increase number of offspring my kin produce
Inclusive fitness
increase number of offspring my kin and I produce (direct fitness + indirect fitness)
Hamilton’s rule explain
- tells us when apparently altruistic behaviors are favored by natural selection
- help us predict when we will see kindness among non-genetic relatives
Hamilton’s rule equation
B * r > C
B = benefit to the recipient
r = coefficient of relatedness
C = cost to donor
Spatial association
treat those around you as kin
Social association
treat those from childhood as kin
Phenotype matching
treat those who resemble you as kin
Conditions of reciprocity
- repeated interactions
- high benefit to recipient relative to the cost to the donor
- ability to keep tabs on people (and to punish cheaters)
Big impediment to kindness
- free loaders
- we are very vulnerable when doing something kind for another person
- reciprocal altruism can evolve only is you are able to remember and punish the cheater
Strategies to enhancing cooperation among unrelated people
- tinker with perceived costs and benefits (reduce perceived cost, accentuate benefit)
- distinguish cheaters and kind people
- reduce the perceived vulnerability to partners (make the first step, acknowledge debts)
Rules of thumb
what an organism would do if they were placed in an environment they are genetically adapted to be in
Maladaptive behavior
behaviors that doe snot result in the most optimal outcome
Unexpected cooperation and conflict
cooperation : female belding ground squirrel making calls even when transported to a new colony
conflict : fetus and mother fighting for food
