Chapter 8: Problems of Kinship Flashcards
inclusive fitness
measures an organism’s success in passing on its genes not only through its offspring but also through any relatives it helps support
attempts to explain altruistic behavior
-cost to self
-benefit to others
Hamilton’s rule for the evolution of genes
a gene promoting altruism towards siblings is more likely to evolve than one prompting altruism towards cousins, based on costs and benefits
hypotheses about universal aspects of kinship
- ego-centered kin terminology
-distinction among sex
-generation
-aware of real relatives
mechanism causing sibling differences:
differences in parental investment
dominance hierarchies
deidentification
niche- picking
Birth Order and gender stereotypes
mechanisms for kin recognition
exposure
phenotypic resemblance
odor
kin classification
genealogical distance
social rank
group membership
mechanisms to discourage incest:
westermarck effect: lack of sexual interest in one’s own siblings
thinking about mating with close kin arouses disgust, particularly in women
nepotistic nosiness
people meddle in the mating relationships of their kin, especially close female kin
2 generations of Paternity Uncertainty
paternal grandfather
-chance his son/daughter is not his
-chance his son’s son/daughter is not his son’s
maternal grandmother
-100% sure of genetic relatedness
- Grandmother hypothesis: menopause may be adaptive in signaling that it is time to invest in grandchildren as opposed to making more children
ecological constraints model
lack of resources to provide the opportunity for reproduction
familial benefits model
bounty of benefits provided to offspring
-enhanced survival
-skill acquisition
-inclusive fitness (helping and being helped by genetic relatives)
