Chapter 31, Problem 40A

Summary Introduction

To write:

A case about the altruistic behavior by an individual animal that might result in the animal’s genes appearing in future generations.

Introduction:

Altruism is a belief which means that the well-being of others is equally important as much as the well-being or survival of oneself. It is the selfless acts that always put the welfare of others before one's own.

Explanation of Solution

Social behaviors can be categorized according to whether their consequences for the actor and recipient are beneficial, increasing fitness, or costly, decreasing fitness. Altruism is a behavior that might reduce the fitness of the actor but it definitely increases the fitness of the recipient. Too much altruism can result in errors as Pathological altruism is where people take altruism to a level when their actions start causing more harm than good.

      Figure 1

As seen in the figure a germ-line mutation for reproductive altruism arises first, which is then transmitted to descendant kin. The gene is then ‘turned on’ and as a consequence, the first-generation altruist directs help to further relatives who carry the gene but do not express it.

If the altruistic effect is strong, then the altruist will get no direct fitness. In this extreme gene for altruism can also gain representation in the next generation through the indirect transmission.

Conclusion

Developing the criteria for recognition of genes describes the first candidate genes that is affecting altruism from social insects and humans. Providing evidence from a human population between alleles for altruism and alleles for non-social cognition. These trade-off between self-oriented and altruistic behavior also influences the evolution of phenotypic diversity.